Who Is Candace Owens, Conservative Commentator Barred From New Zealand

US conservative political commentator Candace Owens has been denied entry to New Zealand for a scheduled speaking engagement, with immigration officials citing her ban from another country as the basis for the decision. This follows Australia's recent rejection of her visa application over controversial comments. Known for her provocative commentary and inflammatory takes on social and political issues, Owens has built a significant following on social media, with over three million followers on YouTube.

1) Early life and influences

According to a report in The New Yorker, Candace Owens described her early years, spent in low-income housing in Stamford, Connecticut, as “dysfunctional.” At nine, her family moved in with her grandparents, where her grandfather, Robert Owens, became a guiding force in her life. Raised as one of 12 children on a sharecropping farm in North Carolina, Robert worked from the age of five, drying tobacco leaves and frequently shared stories of growing up Black in the Deep South, including harrowing encounters with the Ku Klux Klan. Owens has cited these family experiences to question liberal narratives about white nationalism in modern America. In a 2019 Judiciary Committee hearing on “the spread of white identity ideology,” she criticised Democrats for “fear-mongering” about racism, pointing to her grandfather's experiences under Democratic-led Jim Crow laws as evidence of the shifting political landscape of racial issues.

2) Career

Candace Owens, a right-wing political commentator, has drawn attention for her controversial views, including the promotion of antisemitic tropes and anti-Israel rhetoric. She has also propagated conspiracy theories targeting the LGBTQ+ community. Owens rose to prominence between 2016 and 2017 as a vocal supporter of Donald Trump's MAGA movement and a critic of the Black Lives Matter campaign. Her career saw significant growth during her time with Turning Point USA and later with the conservative media platform, The Daily Wire, co-founded by Ben Shapiro. But her tenure at The Daily Wire ended after increasing tensions with its founders over her remarks about Jews and her opposition to US military support for Israel.

3) Recent controversies

Candace Owens announced a speaking tour in August, 2024, promising audiences in Australia and New Zealand discussions on free speech and her Christian beliefs. But Australia banned her in October, with Immigration Minister Tony Burke stating that Owens “has the capacity to incite discord in almost every direction,” citing her controversial remarks about the Holocaust and Muslims. In New Zealand, officials denied her an entertainer's work permit based on a legal provision barring visas for individuals already excluded from another country.

4) Connection with Kanye West and launch of ‘Blexit'

Candace Owens gained further visibility when Kanye West (known as Ye) once publicly endorsed her on X, stating, “I love the way Candace Owens thinks.” Following this, Owens joined West on a visit to the TMZ offices, where he made controversial comments about slavery being a “choice” for Black people. Building on the momentum, Owens launched the “Blexit” movement, short for “Black exit,” which encourages Black Americans to leave what she describes as the “Democrat plantation.”

5) Personal life

Candace Owens is married to British businessman George Farmer, the son of Lord Michael Farmer, founder of the trading conglomerate Metal & Commodity Company Ltd. The couple met in 2018 and Farmer proposed to her just 17 days after their first meeting during a FaceTime call on December 29, 2018, according to People. They married in 2019 and have since welcomed three children into their family.