The life and career of Candace Owens, the Black conservative activist who attacked Black Lives Matter and said George Floyd was 'not a good person' (2024)

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Owens was born in 1990 in Stamford, Connecticut. She studied journalism at the University of Rhode Island, but dropped out after her junior year due to a student loan issue.

It’s my birthday. And while I can admit my arms weren’t as toned back in ‘89 as I would have liked— the milk was good, and my party face was strong. The greatest blessing of this last year by far is my husband. He’s my favorite part of everyday. (Also, my cat— because she polices my Instagram) Here’s to another trip around the sun!

A post shared by Candace Owens (@realcandaceowens) on Apr 29, 2020 at 5:50am PDTApr 29, 2020 at 5:50am PDT

Source: The Connecticut Post, NBC News

In 2010, she worked at Vogue magazine, and in 2012, joined a private-equity company in New York City.

Source: The Connecticut Post

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In 2016, she started a website called SocialAutopsy.com, which identified and exposed online bullies. She said she made the site after experiencing racialized bullying and harassment in high school.

Source: The Connecticut Post, YouTube

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Her rise to fame in the far-right world started in 2017, when she founded her YouTube channel. In her videos, he criticizes the Democratic Party, the Black Lives Matter movement, feminism, and expresses support for President Donald Trump.

Much of her media commentary revolves around promoting Black conservatism and her belief that the Democratic Party is creating and profiting from a "victim mentality" among African-Americans.

She has referred to the Democrat Party as a "plantation" and its prominent supporters its "slaves."

She has also referred to the Black Lives Matter movement as "whiny toddlers pretending to be oppressed."

Some of her most-viewed videos have titles such as: "I don't care about Charlottesville, the KKK, and white supremacy" and "How to escape the Democrat Plantation."

Source: YouTube

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She also opposes gun control, and referred to the #MeToo movement as a "political witch hunt." She even questioned the validity of climate change in an interview with Joe Rogan.

Source: Candace Owens/Twitter, Candace Owens/Twitter, Joe Rogan/YouTube

In 2018, she started the "Blexit" movement, a campaign to encourage African-Americans to end their historical allegiance to the Democratic Party.

Source: Fox News

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Between 2017 and 2019, she also served as communications director for Turning Point USA, a conservative, pro-Trump non-profit.

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In 2019, she married George Farmer, the son of a British Conservative Party peer. Their wedding was held at Trump Winery in Virginia and attended by Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage.

That’s my favorite part to rewind my life on. 🎶 When my world got dark, you turned the light on🎶 To the ladies asking— I wore @moniquelhuillierbride for all three of my dresses. I don’t know her personally but I think her gowns are beautiful, timeless, and delicate. I went with long sleeves down the aisle and for the reception because I think modesty is always en Vogue.. Princess Grace of Monaco was/is the most elegant bride of all time. A beautiful bride is a kind bride. I’ve seen a lot of women treat their vendors, bridesmaids, make up artists, parents, (and sometimes even their grooms) terribly leading up to their wedding days. The most important thing for both George and I was to make sure every single person that played a role in our wedding, from the vendors to the guests, knew how grateful, excited and blessed we were to have them be a part of our wedding. Our policy was kindness and love throughout the entire process. There are a lot of people I will thank in later posts but first and foremost, to our wedding planner: @justalittleditty Dickie Morris, we love you so much. From start to finish just the most wonderful person in the entire world. You are now our planner for everything, forever and always.

A post shared by Candace Owens (@realcandaceowens) on Sep 8, 2019 at 9:13am PDTSep 8, 2019 at 9:13am PDT

Owens has said that Farage's Brexit campaign inspired "Blexit."

She told Fox News in 2018 that during CPAC 2017, "I looked up and Nigel Farage of the Brexit movement was there. I thought, here in America we need a 'Blexit.'"

Source: Fox News, DailyMail.com

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Owens' tweets reveal many of her conservative opinions on the state of Black America, the Democratic Party, and her support for Trump.

—Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) November 25, 2019

—Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) June 10, 2020

—Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) June 9, 2020

—Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) January 20, 2020

Owens is a frequent guest on Fox News, often discussing ways in which she thinks the Democratic Party is failing Black Americans.

Source: YouTube

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Owens' advocacy has earned her attention and praise from Trump himself. The president has invited her to multiple White House events in recent years.

—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 9, 2018

—Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) January 21, 2020

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In 2018, rapper Kanye West tweeted "I love the way Candace Owens thinks" — though he has since distanced himself from her.

West tweeted the praise about Owens in January 2018.

But in October 2018, he tweeted that he was leaving politics to focus on creative work, and said he had "nothing to do with" Owens' Blexit movement.

Owens responded by saying she was hurt by West's tweets, saying: "If I had to imagine what it would feel like to have a bullet pierce my heart, it would be exactly like the moment I learned Kanye told the world he felt I had used him."

Source: Kanye West/Twitter, Insider

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In 2020, Owens has been in hot water for spreading coronavirus conspiracy theories on Twitter, including saying that hospitals and states were inflating the death toll for financial gain.

Some of Trump's aides also believed that hospitals might be misdiagnosing patients with COVID-19 to get a 20% bonus from Medicare, Axios reported in May.

Misdiagnosing a patient is fraud, and there is no public evidence to show hospitals have been abusing this system.

Source: Insider

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And in June 3, Owens recorded a Facebook video critical of George Floyd and the protests in the wake of his death.

"I do not support George Floyd and the media depiction of him as a martyr for Black America," she said in the 18-minute Facebook video.

"For whatever reason, it has become fashionable over the last five or six years for us to turn criminals into heroes overnight and it's something that I find despicable," she added.

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Later that day, she went on Glenn Beck's radio show and expounded on her opinion, saying "George Floyd was not a good person" and "the fact that he has been held up as a martyr sickens me."

Trump later retweeted her quote on the show:

—Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) June 4, 2020

After the appearance, Owens was invited to the White House to take part in a discussion with Vice President Mike Pence on how to move the nation forward after Floyd's death, which prompted outage, according to DailyMail.com.

Owens is seen in the far left of this picture:

—Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 4, 2020

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She also started a GoFundMe campaign for an Alabama business whose co-owner was widely criticized for calling Floyd a "thug." GoFundMe later kicked her off the platform, saying she violated its policies.

In a statement on Sunday, GoFundMe accused Owens of making "falsehoods against the black community."

Source: Business Insider

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What's next for Owens? A book, apparently. "Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation" is expected to publish in September 2020.