Candace Owens guns for Erika Kirk over her honorary doctorate - BERITAJA

Conservative commentator Candace Owens has turned her attraction to Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk aft she received an honorary doctorate from Hillsdale College, a schoolhouse known for opposing diversity, equity and inclusion policies. On her podcast The Candace Owens Show, Owens utilized the grant to escalate her ongoing feud pinch Kirk. She pointed retired that Erika had antecedently said she “wanted to spell home” and walk clip pinch her family, only to later return to nationalist life and present a commencement reside astatine Hillsdale.

Owens calls retired the irony

Owens quickly criticized the decision. On her podcast, she publication a societal media station from personification Brian Allen, who based on Hillsdale awarded Erika the grade because of her husband’s prominence contempt the college’s disapproval of DEI policies.

“That is the meaning of DEI,” the station said. “Diversity, equity and inclusion for maine and not for thee.”

Owens partially agreed and based on honorary doctorates are mostly tied to world accomplishment alternatively than commencement speeches.

On her YouTube channel, Owens reviewed what she described arsenic Erika’s résumé and questioned what the grade was really recognizing.

The hypocrisy charge

The backlash dispersed beyond Owens. Critics connected societal media based on the grade contradicted the Kirks’ long-running disapproval of higher acquisition and honorary credentials.

Some users called Erika “tone-deaf” for accepting degrees from a assemblage while Charlie Kirk often encouraged young group to prosecute waste and acquisition schools, apprenticeships and alternatives to four-year universities.

The disapproval besides revived chat about Charlie’s 2022 book, The College Scam.

Marriage, children and Charlie’s legacy

Despite the controversy, Erika accepted the honorary grade connected behalf of her hubby and delivered a individual reside to graduates.

She told the assemblage that Charlie profoundly loved Hillsdale and urged students to “embrace the akin blueprint of my husband, wherever he’d emotion to constituent retired that God made america purposeful beings.”

She besides shared a honeymoon story, recalling really the mates agreed to disconnect from exertion during the trip, though Charlie still followed Hillsdale’s online coursework utilizing an emergency phone.

She encouraged graduates to “marry young” and “have much kids than you could afford,” while urging them to take intent complete comfort.

Kirk besides appeared to reside conspiracy theories indirectly, telling graduates: “If you’re seeking the ugly, the conspiracies and the pain, that is precisely what you merit to find.”

Erika fires back

The Hillsdale contention added substance to an already bitter conflict betwixt Owens and Turning Point USA leadership.

In a nationalist statement, Erika said “Every greeting I aftermath up to a caller header lying about me. I person comedians dressing up successful whiteface, I person group saying I’m not fresh to beryllium CEO and I person Candace Owens claiming I murdered my husband.”

Owens responded connected X, writing, “Of everything I’ve said about Erika she chooses to respond to thing I ne'er said. They ever lie.”

Very uncomfortable to watch. Painful prompter read.
A reside CLEARLY written by personification else. Objectively unspeakable truthful they will now salary for group to show america otherwise.
Also, of everything I’ve said about Erika she chooses to respond to thing I ne'er said. They ever lie. https://t.co/a9ByyGbFNe

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 29, 2026

Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet later shared what appeared to beryllium screenshots of a matter speech involving Owens. One alleged connection read: “First question: why did you execution your husband?” followed by laughing and shrugging emojis.

In a connection shared pinch Newsweek, Owens said, “Like the mostly of group successful the sensible world, I find watching TPUSA’s perpetual PR blunder to beryllium excruciating, to opportunity the least.”