Candace Owens suspended from YouTube after Kanye West interview, host blames 'Zionists'

Far-right commentator Candace Owens will no longer make money on her YouTube channel and is suspended from the platform for a week thanks to videos the Google subsidiary deemed hate speech.

Owens posted the announcement on her Facebook page, saying, "There will be no episode [of my podcast] today or any episode this week because my YouTube account has been suspended."

According to Owens, she received takedown notices from YouTube for three videos, including an interview with Kanye West and a "debate" with author and media host Rabbi Shmuley, along with three strikes for violating hate speech policies.

Screenshots of the notices attached to Owens' Facebook post explain that YouTube removed at least one video, "Kanye West (Ye) x Candace Owens | Candace Ep 42," specifically for "claims that Jewish people control the media," an oft-used antisemitic conspiracy that violated YouTube's terms of service which specify "YouTube does now allow content containing conspiratorial claims that individuals or groups are evil, corrupt, or malicious based on their protected group status."

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"As you can see, today I received 3 back to back emails— which informed me that my videos were being taken down," Owens wrote in her post. "Immediately thereafter a fourth email came in, informing me that my channel had been completely demonetized. In short, I can no longer make money on YouTube because I traffick in 'hate.'"

Attached was an email informing Owens of her suspension from the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which allows creators to make money off of videos via advertising. According to the email, Owens violated several policies of the program, including "Ad-Friendly Guidelines" and "Community Guidelines," meaning her channel is no longer considered suitable for advertising due to platforming content that "incites hatred against, promotes discrimination, disparages or humiliates an individual or group of people."

A representative for Owens, Mitchell P. Jackson, told USA TODAY that Owen's podcast "received zero strikes on YouTube" until today, when "three strikes instantly hit Candace’s email simultaneously" and her channel was demonetized "citing a nearly month-old interview with Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West). The ban comes after an X account encouraged users to mass report Candace."

The rep also said it is a "threat to free speech when people can mass report a page and get someone banned–even if they didn’t break the rules. Today, the opponents of free speech are targeting Candace, but anyone could be next."

“This is targeted harassment, and YouTube does nothing about it,” Owens said in a statement sent via her rep.

Get to know the First Amendment

Free speech refers to the First Amendment of the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom to express opinions without fear of government censorship, as long as they do not incite direct or imminent harm. It does not extend to private institutions, like YouTube, which are entitled to implement their own rules, procedures, and stipulations for the use of their goods or services.

YouTube spokesperson Jack Malon said in a statement to USA TODAY that the platform "Suspended channels associated with Candace Owens from the YouTube Partner Program following repeated violations of our policies, including our Advertiser-Friendly Guidelines and Community Guidelines."

YouTube also told USA TODAY that there is a "high bar" for monetization and channels in the YPP are expected to follow policy. Channels that repeatedly violate policy can be suspended from the program, but creators can reapply for monetization in 90 days if they've addressed the content and behavior that led to the suspension.

Owens blames 'extremists' for YouTube takedown

Owens' posts do not appear to indicate a desire to reconcile with YouTube.

"While have [sic] been overwhelmed with gratitude by the positive responses we received, I also knew that my performance would come at a great personal cost. The media does not like losing control of the narrative, and I was taking on radical Zionism," she said, blaming an X, formerly Twitter, account titled "Awesome Jew" for the mass reporting of her account and "radicals" emailing her advertisers demanding that they pull ads from the show.

On X, formerly Twitter, she doubled down, saying her videos were removed because they were "mass reported by Zionists."

"Their tactics never change," she said, followed by an additional post that argued Kanye West "was calm, and filled with love—speaking about the world coming together to defeat evil" in his sit down on her show.

A history of antisemitism

Both Owens and West have a history of spreading hate against multiple groups of people, including antisemitic rhetoric and conspiracy theories about Jewish people. Owens was originally fired from the conservative website The Daily Wire after feuding with founder Ben Shapiro and making conspiratorial claims, such as one about a "secret Jewish gangs" perpetuating "horrific acts" in Hollywood.

Owens has also partaken in Holocaust denial and revisionism and has received support from neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.

She is likewise a long-time defender of Kanye West, who famously appeared on Alex Jones' Infowars show in 2022 saying he "liked" Hitler, that "[Nazis] did good things, too" and "We've got to stop dissing the Nazis all the time."

These were just some of the most jarring comments amid years of antisemitism from the rapper.