Turning Point Producer Rebukes Candace Owens, Says Her Conspiracies Have Fueled Harassment

Blake Neff, a longtime producer for The Charlie Kirk Show, used a recent broadcast to push back against a series of conspiracy theories promoted by commentator Candace Owens and to describe how those claims have led to harassment of friends, family and staff connected to Charlie Kirk.

Neff outlined numerous allegations Owens has circulated — some long-debunked — and disputed their accuracy. He said the claims have prompted threats, abusive messages and sustained online harassment directed at individuals close to Kirk, who was shot and killed at a Utah university in September; the suspect in that killing is currently awaiting trial.

"These attacks and allegations from Candace are either lies or they are innuendos thrown around with a total, reckless disregard for the truth," Neff said. "I would say we have suffered more harassment from these people than we have from Antifa supporters who overtly celebrate Charlie’s murder."

Neff read a lengthy statement detailing specific assertions Owens has made about Turning Point USA staff and allies. According to Neff, Owens has suggested that Charlie’s chief of staff, Michael McCoy, had foreknowledge of the attack and that McCoy and other staffers were complicit in or financially benefited from events surrounding Kirk’s death. Neff said he personally reviewed McCoy’s birth certificate to dispute claims that "Michael" is not his real name, and he denied assertions that McCoy’s wife, who works for Turning Point, organized the campus event where Kirk was killed.

Other claims Neff attributed to Owens include suggestions that the Utah Valley University appearance was an "inside job," accusations that foreign aircraft tracked Charlie’s wife, Erica Kirk, and insinuations that security personnel withheld life-saving aid. Neff also disputed allegations that a technical staffer acted suspiciously when removing an SD card from a camera, and he rejected an accusation that guest Tyler Boyer sexually abused interns.

Neff characterized some of Owens’s more colorful theories as lacking evidence, mentioning claims about French paratroopers, Egyptian military aircraft allegedly operating near Provo, Utah, and subterranean passages — narratives he said have repeatedly failed to materialize when scrutinized.

Neff said Turning Point initially chose not to respond publicly because they expected the theories were too implausible to gain traction, and because Charlie Kirk viewed Owens as a friend. With a three-month anniversary of Kirk’s death approaching, Neff said the continued spread of these claims has left the organization no choice but to answer them directly.

To that end, Neff announced that Turning Point intends to host a livestream in Phoenix to methodically address and rebut the accusations. He invited Owens to participate in that livestream at their studio, writing that "at this point, we believe the ball is back in her court."

Neff framed the forthcoming event as an effort to protect Kirk’s legacy and to stop the ongoing harassment of people who were close to him. He emphasized that the goal is to provide clear, documented responses to the claims and to restore factual clarity around the events and allegations discussed.

Additional context: the suspect in Kirk’s killing remains in custody and is awaiting trial; the disputes Neff outlines concern public allegations and theories circulating online, many of which Neff described as unproven or false.