Latest news with #CandaceOwens
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The anti-woke warriors used to defend free speech. Now they make McCarthyism look progressive
Thoughts and non-denominational prayers to all the anti-woke warriors out there. It may seem as though everything is going their way now Donald Trump is back with a vengeance, but the poor things have run into a bit of a branding problem. For years, the anti-woke crowd positioned themselves as fearless free thinkers taking on the intolerant left. The journalist Bari Weiss wrote a fawning New York Times piece in 2018 describing rightwing voices such as Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens as 'renegades of the intellectual dark web' (IDW). Now, however, the people who used to position themselves as oppressed truth-tellers operating in what Weiss's article called an 'era of That Which Cannot Be Said', have a state-sanctioned microphone. They've won. But in winning they've made it difficult to continue the charade that they give a damn about 'cancel culture'. Look around: some of these self-styled free speech warriors are doing everything they can to ruin the lives of everyone who doesn't 100% agree with them. Most conservatives don't seem to mind that their hypocrisy is now on full display. But, according to a recent piece on the news site Semafor, a handful of people within the anti-woke media ecosystem are starting to have something of an identity crisis. 'One didn't have to be especially prescient to spot those 'anti-woke' types who would just slowly become Maga flunkies,' said the libertarian journalist Michael Moynihan, who had a short stint at Weiss's publication the Free Press before becoming disillusioned. Remember when the right railed against people losing jobs for old comments they'd made? In 2018, for example, the Atlantic fired the conservative columnist Kevin Williamson after the backlash about a 2014 podcast appearance in which the 60-year-old had suggested women should face hanging for having an abortion. Cue a million furious tweets from the 'renegades of the IDW' about how, as Ben Shapiro put it on X, 'virtually everyone is vulnerable if they run afoul of the Left's interests'. Now, however, there's no denying that virtually everyone is vulnerable if they run afoul of the right's interests. Semafor's piece notes that 'One [Free Press] investigation that exposed two low-profile employees at PBS who had focused on diversity and got them fired rubbed even some of its allies the wrong way'. At least the DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) employees at PBS 'only' got fired. Canary Mission and Betar US, two pro-Israel groups, have been compiling 'deportation' lists of pro-Palestinian activists on college campuses and sharing them with the Trump administration. Betar US has also warned that it is going to expand its focus beyond immigrants to naturalised US citizens. These organisations are just a couple of cogs in a massive dissent-crushing machine. The Christian nationalist Heritage Foundation, which spearheaded Project 2025, is behind a dystopian plan called Project Esther that cynically weaponises very real concerns about antisemitism to shut down criticism of Israel and quash pro-Palestinian activism. And you can bet these censorious projects won't end with Palestinians: at the rate we're going, pro-choice sentiment will soon be considered 'anti-Christian' and anyone espousing it will get deported. If that sounds far-fetched, let me remind you that last month the veterans affairs department ordered staff to report their colleagues for 'anti-Christian bias'. Drunk on their power to deport and defame, some on the right have officially lost the plot. For months a number of conservative voices have been engaged on a mission to cancel Ms Rachel, a children's entertainer whose real name is Rachel Accurso. If you have small children, Ms Rachel needs no introduction. For everyone else, she wears a pink headband and sings songs such as Icky Sticky Bubble Gum. Ms Rachel's videos have always been gently inclusive: she incorporates sign language and she has frequently had Jules Hoffman, a non-binary musician, on her show. On her personal social media she has also advocated for issues such as paid family leave. The right tried to cancel Ms Rachel over Hoffman's gender identity back in 2023. Now they're trying to cancel the beloved star again; this time for the 'crime' of speaking up about Palestinian kids and featuring a three-year-old double amputee from Gaza in a video. The fact Accurso is humanising Palestinian children is driving some rightwing voices so berserk that they're smearing her as antisemitic, asking the US attorney general for an investigation, and spreading the ridiculous and completely baseless lie (which the New York Times bizarrely chose to amplify) that she is being funded by Hamas. Welcome to our 'new era of That Which Cannot Be Said': one that may make McCarthyism seem progressive. It would seem the new renegades of the intellectual dark web are those of us who think you shouldn't bomb starving babies in their sleep just because they are Palestinian. Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Taylor Swift And Blake Lively: Subpoena, Spectacle And Double Standards
The ongoing legal firestorm between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni took centre stage again this month when news emerged that Taylor Swift had been subpoenaed in connection with the case. The Lively and Baldoni lawsuit is serious. In late 2024, Lively accused her 'It Ends With Us' co-star and director of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation. Baldoni responded with a $400 million defamation countersuit that named not only Lively but also her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist and later Taylor Swift. He alleged that Lively's camp pressured Swift, her close friend and chosen godmother to her children, into taking her side, threatening to release private messages if she refused. An accusation Swift's team vehemently denied. Lively's lawyers called the move a "ghoulish taunt." Later, a federal judge struck out the subpoena while warning Baldoni's team against what he called the 'promotion of public scandal.' But by then, the media had already moved in. Neither side has issued any statement on the matter. Yet, headlines were quick to speculate on a breakdown of their friendship and a web of personal regrets. The linkage of one of the most successful musicians of the modern era to this case escalated what had already been a huge media story into a full-blown cultural flashpoint. Public interest in this case has exploded. Earlier this week, conservative commentator Candace Owens announced a return from maternity leave to cover what she called an "irresistible scoop" on the Swift and Lively saga, releasing a podcast episode titled "Taylor Swift Is Now Team Baldoni… Here's Why." A return that was hardly surprising considering her fixation on this case, has contributed to a massive spike in her views and follower numbers. According to Vox Media, Today Explained, data from Socialblade shows Owens's YouTube channel grew from 1.5 million to over 4.2 million subscribers, with total views rising from 132 million last year to more than 688 million this year, which they tie to her focus on this story. Candance Owens Candance Owens via Wikipedia These numbers speak for themselves. Female celebrity drama fuels clicks. It follows a familiar pattern of treating women's lives as more dramatic, emotionally charged, and ultimately more consumable. With increased success comes increased skepticism. Lively, 36, is not just a movie star. She is a businesswoman, a mother of four, and has a huge personal brand. Swift, 34, is a billionaire mogul, a musician, a producer, and a beacon of female empowerment. When their names appear in the same headline, the coverage becomes less about the facts and more about what we expect. Intrigue, betrayal, allegiance, and a high level of spectacle. This has never been the case for men. While Lively-Swifts loyalty was being analyzed for liability, another legal story played out in headlines. A Manhattan federal court case against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, a man with decades of cultural influence, who is facing charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and related crimes. The scale and severity of the allegations far outweigh the Lively and Baldoni conflict. Yet coverage of Combs has been cautious, procedural, and even muted. As Conor Murray writes for Forbes, despite his deep ties across Hollywood and hip-hop, his friendships have not become subplots. There has been a relatively muted focus on the loyalty and liability of his social circle. His friendships and collaborators have not become this story. Yet for Lively and Swift, regardless of the legal findings, damage is done not just in court proceedings but in the ever-explosive online cultural war. The fact that Swift, neither a plaintiff nor a defendant, became such a major headline relating to this case speaks volumes to the scrutiny women face. A trial by public opinion on her values, alliances, and character. Social media fills with op-eds, TikTok reels, and parasocial monologues. When a man is at the center, the response is more refrained. More procedural than emotional. In short, woman's crisis becomes entertainment. A man's becomes logistics. This isn't new. It's common to see women's personal and professional battles become public character assassinations. We have seen it with women from Angelina Jolie to Britney Spears to Meghan Markle. Women are rarely just part of the story. They become the story. With analysis that often centers on morality and speculation above facts. While moments like this are packaged as juicy celebrity entertainment, the reality is they have broad cultural consequence. In a world of viral narratives and algorithm-driven outrage, the way these stories are framed can shape who gets believed, whose reputations are tarnished, and who ultimately in the longer term will feel safe speaking up. The Lively- Baldoni case will proceed through legal process, and the Taylor Swift subpoena may vanish from the docket, but the cultural fallout remains. Once again, we see how women in the spotlight face a higher cost when private legal battles become public warfare. A reminder that for women in the public eye, their reputations are always on trial.
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
KENNEDY: Now we have proof Candace Owens is the most vile, idiotic, corrosive woman in media... it's time to expose her dirty secret
Lunatic provocateur Candace Owens has finally found a member of the 'demonic' Hollywood cabal that she actually likes... and it's Harvey Weinstein! Yes, that Harvey. The convicted rapist.
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
A Hot Piece Of Garbage
Harvey Weinstein, the catalyst for the #MeToo movement in the late 2010s, just gave his first interview in eight years. The infamous studio mogul spoke to conservative commentator Candace Owens and claimed he was wrongfully convicted. Weinstein is amid a retrial after the New York State appeals court overturned his 2020 conviction last year. Kennedy has much to say about the matter and points out the similarities between him and P. Diddy. Follow Kennedy on Twitter: @KennedyNation Kennedy Now Available on YouTube: Follow on TikTok: Join Kennedy for Happy Hour on Fridays! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Harvey Weinstein's explosive claim that he's secretly still working in Hollywood
Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein claims he's still influencing the movie industry from behind bars. The 73-year-old convicted rapist, who long earned a reputation in the industry for bullying directors and demanding last-minute rewrites, now claims that filmmakers continue to seek his input in secret. 'I have friends who are still in the industry who slip me their screenplays and ask me for notes,' Weinstein told conservative commentator Candace Owens in a new jailhouse interview on her subscription-based platform The Daily Wire. Despite his criminal convictions and public disgrace, Weinstein insisted that he is still a behind-the-scenes influence in Hollywood 'You know, can I do something for it? Can I help? Can I improve it? And I just give them my honest thoughts,' he told Owens. 'So I'm not doing anything for me, but I'm doing things for others.' Weinstein is currently facing a retrial in New York after the state's highest court overturned his 2020 rape conviction, ruling that his trial had been tainted by testimony from women whose allegations weren't part of the actual charges. He has pleaded not guilty and maintains that he never raped or sexually assaulted anyone. The former movie mogul's downfall in 2017 marked a seismic shift in Hollywood. Investigative reports by The New York Times and The New Yorker exposed decades of sexual misconduct, leading to more than 60 women — including A-list actresses — coming forward with allegations of harassment, assault, and rape. 'I have friends who are still in the industry who slip me their screenplays and ask me for notes,' Weinstein told conservative commentator Candace Owens in a newly released interview on her subscription-based platform The Daily Wire The revelations helped spark the global #MeToo movement, a reckoning that challenged the culture of silence surrounding powerful men in media, politics, and beyond. Among Weinstein's accusers is Salma Hayek, who wrote a powerful 2017 op-ed for The New York Times titled 'Harvey Weinstein Is My Monster Too.' In it, Hayek described how Weinstein relentlessly pressured her for sex, berated her when she refused, and tried to sabotage her film Frida. He allegedly forced her into filming a nude scene under duress, causing her to suffer an emotional breakdown on set. Despite those traumatic circumstances, Frida was completed and went on to earn six Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Hayek. Owens, who has expressed support for Weinstein's efforts to overturn his convictions in New York, said reviewing his case 'made [her] lose faith in the judicial system.' 'I don't think Harvey is a moral man,' she said. 'I just also do not believe that he is a rapist.' Weinstein became emotional during the interview, claiming his legal battles had destroyed him. 'They broke me,' he said. 'They broke me in half.' He also insisted he still has allies in Hollywood - but said they're too afraid to defend him. 'They are frightened to death that they're going to be canceled,' he said. 'I've asked to have lie detectors brought into the prison. I know they're not admissible, but I want the world to know.' Despite his denials, Weinstein made a partial admission regarding Gwyneth Paltrow, who has said he sexually harassed her in a hotel suite when she was 22 - shortly after he cast her in the 1996 film Emma. 'I definitely made a pass,' Weinstein told Owens before quickly backpedaling. 'It's a complete fabrication about my relationship with Gwyneth. I didn't put my hands on her. I didn't touch her.' Paltrow told The New York Times in 2017: 'It was weird. I was alone in a room with him. It was out of the blue. I was blindsided. I was shocked.' Weinstein also spoke about actress Rose McGowan, who alleged that he raped her in a hotel room at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival after casting her in the film Scream. 'I settled with Rose McGowan,' he said. 'I gave her $100,000. Don't tell my wife, don't get me into trouble. It's all conflated, and it's all led to the idea that I'm going to be the one they persecute.' McGowan publicly revealed the settlement in 2017 and said she had signed a nondisclosure agreement. Weinstein, who was married to fashion designer Georgina Chapman from 2003 to 2021, also dismissed allegations from actress Ashley Judd that he sexually harassed her. 'Ashley Judd's claims are ridiculous,' he told Owens. More than six years after the floodgates opened and Weinstein became the face of the #MeToo movement, he remains defiant. Now awaiting retrial in New York, he claims he's innocent - and insists Hollywood hasn't completely turned its back on him.
