Candace Owens vs. Ben Shapiro Debate May Not Happen Amid Alleged Gag Order: Report
Candace Owens and Ben Shapiro's much-anticipated debate about Israel and antisemitism is unlikely to take place after the Daily Wire allegedly obtained a gag order against the former, a new report has suggested.
Glenn Greenwald reported in his Locals newsletter that the right-wing media outlet "ensured" that the debate could not happen when it allegedly secretly sought and was granted a gag order that bars Owens from criticizing Shapiro and the Daily Wire.
According to the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, the Daily Wire allegedly asked a private arbitrator to impose a gag order on Owens while the company's CEO Jeremy Boreing and co-founder Shapiro were publicly negotiating the terms of the debate with her on social media.
In its gag order filing, the Daily Wire reportedly accused Owens of violating the alleged non-disparagement clause of her agreement with the company by publicly challenging Shapiro to a debate via X, formerly Twitter.
RELATED: Here's How Candace Owens And Ben Shapiro's Feud Started
The arbitrator approved the Daily Wire's request for a gag order of prior restraint against Owens, who left the company in March.
In a statement obtained by Greenwald, Boreing said the report was "inaccurate to the point of being false."
"I'm sure you can appreciate how fraught a high-profile break-up like this is. For that reason, we are trying to resolve our issues with Candace privately," the Daily Wire head added.
(Photo : Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images)
Responding to Greenwald's report, Owens said she "can neither confirm nor deny" the claims.
"I wish I could comment on this, but I can't," she said in a statement to the journalist.
Under the gag order, Owens is banned from making comments that could negatively affect the Daily Wire and Shapiro's reputation, Greenwald reported.
The arbitrator reportedly agreed with the media outlet that Owens' tweets inviting Shapiro to debate her and negotiating the terms of the debate were "disparaging" to the Daily Wire and Shapiro, according to the report.
Owens first publicly expressed her desire to have a debate against Shapiro on "Israel and the *current* definition of antisemitism" via a post on X on April 5.
Both Shapiro and Boreing accepted the debate invitation and negotiated the venue, date, and time for the debate with Owens publicly on X.
Owens soon agreed to Boreing's proposed terms, which included holding a one-on-one debate in a Nashville studio with no moderator, live-streaming it on her channels, and allowing Owens to choose the time and pay for crew expenses.
Barring the odd insinuation that you didn’t know your own employees were booked on international flights to come join me in London to film for your platform…this is great.
I fully accept. No moderator. I will get in touch privately to get this set up.
Major win! 🙌🇺🇸 https://t.co/EC1i8wNlZN— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 6, 2024
Weeks later, Owens shared on April 24 an update on the agreed-upon debate, claiming that she had "not heard back" from the Daily Wire regarding possible dates to hold the debate.
However, she said they were "still very keen to make this healthy debate happen."
For the very many of you who keep asking for an update regarding my debate with @benshapiro.
My team reached out immediately suggesting the first week I was back in the states. We were informed the proposed date could not work for Ben due to the holiday but have not heard back…— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) April 24, 2024
No update has since been provided regarding an Owens vs. Shapiro debate.
Owens and Shapiro had clashed for months on social media over their opposing views on Israel and its war in Gaza.
After Israel began its siege on Gaza in retaliation for the October 2023 terrorist attack by Hamas militants, Owens tweeted that "no government anywhere has a right to commit a genocide, ever."
Shapiro, who voiced support for Israel's actions, reportedly called his colleague's commentary "disgraceful," CNN reported.
Owens was later accused of antisemitic rhetoric and Shapiro challenged her to quit her role at the Daily Wire.
The pair's public spat culminated in the Daily Wire severing ties with Owens in March.
Both Boreing and Owens confirmed that she and the media outlet had parted ways but did not specify the reason.
