Candace Owens VS. TPUSA: The Civil War Deepens Over “Flop” Halftime Show

NASHVILLE, TN — The fallout from the Super Bowl LX halftime duel has spilled into a bitter public feud within the conservative movement. On Monday, February 9, 2026, outspoken commentator Candace Owens delivered a stinging rebuke of Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) “All-American Halftime Show,” calling the organization’s reported viewership numbers “fake” and labeling the event a failure.

The tension comes amid Owens’ ongoing campaign to challenge the official narrative of the September 10, 2025, assassination of TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk in Utah.

1. “Everything is Fake”: Owens Debunks the Data

TPUSA claimed its alternative broadcast, headlined by Kid Rock, peaked at 5.2 million live viewers on YouTube. However, Owens and other online skeptics pointed to the discrepancy between live “concurrent” viewers and total “post-event” views.

• The Accusation: Owens reacted to a viral post suggesting that if a stream truly had 5 million live viewers, its total processed views should have skyrocketed to nearly 60 million within hours.
• Owens’ Jab: “The problem with people who have a lot of money they didn’t earn [referencing current TPUSA leadership], is that they tend to have no idea how stuff actually works,” she wrote, adding that the results were “fake and gay until further notice.”

2. Did Trump Tune Out?

While Donald Trump was vocal on Truth Social about his disdain for Bad Bunny’s “all-Spanish” NFL performance—calling it “terrible” and a “slap in the face to our country”—there is no evidence he actually watched the TPUSA alternative.

• Truth Social Clues: Critics on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) noted that Trump’s specific criticisms of Bad Bunny’s flags and set pieces indicated he was, at the very least, monitoring the main Super Bowl broadcast.
• The “Flop” Allegation: Viral posts from liberal commentators, including Dean Withers, alleged that the TPUSA show was such a “flop” that even its most famous ally, the President, didn’t bother to watch the full Kid Rock set.

3. The Shadow of the Assassination

The feud between Owens and TPUSA is rooted in the tragic events of last autumn. Charlie Kirk was killed by a sniper while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.

• The Conspiracy: Owens has repeatedly questioned the “lone gunman” (Tyler James Robinson) theory, recently dragging French businessman Pierre Falcone into the narrative and suggesting a “federal-level cover-up.”
• The War with Erika Kirk: Owens’ claims have placed her on a warpath with Kirk’s widow and current TPUSA CEO, Erika Kirk, who has publicly begged Owens to stop “using the tragedy for profit.”

4. Viewership Reality Check: The Data Gap