Hollywood Conspiracies, Male Victimhood & Christian Redemption—Candace Owens Goes All In
Candace Owens works to destroy trust in institutions while building an empathy machine for men
Welcome back to UNASB! This newsletter serves as a recap of what we discussed in our last meeting. As a reminder, here at UNSAB, we listen to conservative-leaning podcasts, analyze their messaging and themes, and brainstorm actionable ideas for how the Democratic coalition can strengthen its own approach.
In our last meeting, we listened to “Harvey Speaks: Exclusive Interview On His Retrial” with Candace Owens, where she interviews convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein.
Owens has been busy recasting Harvey Weinstein’s downfall as a grand conspiracy - consistently pushing Weinstein throughout the episode to “name names” and inviting her audience into the framing that Weinstein was “taken down” by establishment figures who wanted him gone. Owens pitches herself as a female voice for men mistreated by the #MeToo movement, carving a lane in the “men are victims too” discourse—an especially potent angle for grabbing attention and relevance in a right-wing space dominated by male podcasters.
Candace’s insistence that listeners “just believe me” is a common tactic in right-wing spaces. She offers no evidence for her claims and insists that the audience accept her version of truth without deeper scrutiny. The opportunity not to think critically?! In the age of AI, this sounds like an offer many people couldn’t refuse. She strategically plays up the idea that men are casualties of a system eager to punish, building a narrative that positions herself as a champion of those accused, wronged, and, notably, those still sympathetic to perpetrators.
Right-Wing Messaging: Religion, Institutional Trust and (Not) Naming Names
Owens loads her rhetoric with questions without presenting the audience with direct answers - instead focusing on raising doubts in what she determines as official narratives. She’s assertive, gives no wiggle room for doubt, and her delivery is engineered to be highly “clippable,” trading nuance for shareability.
Owens often uses religious rhetoric in her episodes, and this theme continues in the Weinstein interview. She uses language about sin, family, salvation, and redemption throughout the episode - pushing her audience to see Weinstein’s case through a religious frame of a fallen man who the secular left has targeted, rather than a legal frame that truly asks whether or not he was guilty of his crimes. You have to wonder what impact this framing has on a casual listener who also simply feels curious about the world.
The episode spotlights institutional rot: a decaying trust in public figures and organizations that’s only accelerated in recent years. Owens makes the case that those targeting Weinstein have caused the very institutional distrust she’s promoting in her show—a kind of post-truth society narrative in which unseen forces coordinate to “take down” targets. The interview, by design, references names and individuals without going into detail on who they are and why they are relevant to the case, instead choosing to stay at the surface level and focus the audience on how Owens sees Weinstein as having been wronged.
Perhaps most interestingly, Weinstein himself appears to distance himself from some of Owens’s most hardline conspiracy lines. When she asks him to name names of who could have wanted to “target” him, he pivots and avoids that conversation almost entirely. While there are a couple of moments where he seems to engage, Weinstein seems to be invested in maintaining his position as a “liberal” (“I was GLAAD’s person of the year! “) and is hesitant to go down the conspiracy rabbit hole with Owens.
Conspiracy Hallmarks: Feelings over Facts
There’s a deeper function here: these podcasts act as empathy machines for men who feel that the #MeToo movement was somehow unfair or over-expansive, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Owens tries to fill that “void” of male presence, nodding at the idea that contemporary culture has left men adrift and vulnerable, and creates a personal connection to it by repeatedly referencing that she is the “mother of two sons” in an attempt to create a deeper connection between her and the male elements of her audience.
In a way, Owens’ approach illustrates exactly how conspiracy thinking takes root. Rather than confront the clear evidence against Weinstein, she invites her audience to imagine themselves as potential victims of the justice system—“If it can happen to Weinstein, it could happen to anyone.” This rhetorical move shifts focus from facts to personal vulnerability, a kind of classic emotional tug that has been a hallmark of conspiracy theories since the first one ever popped off. By highlighting her identity as a “mother of two sons,” Owens deepens this emotional resonance, constructing a bridge between her own story and the fears of her male audience.
Owens embodies conspiracy language, painting unseen enemies and coordinated political weapons as forces through which elites prey on regular folks. We flagged hallmarks of the genre throughout—declarative stances, eroding nuance, questions without answers, and building the groundwork for future “revelations” that rarely see the light of day.
Key Takeaways
Investigative Anti-Corruption Content: Audiences are insatiable for stories that blend conspiracy and true crime with political drama -- they flock to exposes like Epstein, corruption in elite networks, and public scandals. Progressives should invest in investigative creators who deliver binge-worthy, fact-based reporting on real abuses of power and systemic corruption, filling the appetite for intrigue from our side while grounded in truth and accountability.
Center Victims’ Stories to Counter Anti-MeToo Narratives: If facts and evidence aren’t enough to change minds in a post-truth environment, progressives must prioritize the emotional, lived experiences of victims of power abuses. By producing content that lets survivors and those harmed by injustice share their stories directly—using podcasts, short videos, interviews, and social posts—we humanize these issues and create powerful counterweights to right-wing efforts that minimize or deny harm. Emotional storytelling can be transformative, winning empathy and credibility in places where statistics alone fail.
Counterbalance The False Empathy Machine: Right-wing podcasts serve as emotional safety nets for men who feel adrift and under attack. Progressives can counter this by extending empathy and community in new and creative ways: spotlighting men who are finding power in positive masculinity, highlighting stories of healing and growth, and fostering a sense of community in online spaces. We can do this both in our digital media and our personal conversations and interactions -- opening up a space where belonging doesn’t depend on reactionary politics.
What You Can Do
Be curious and listen: At UNASB, we often emphasize the need for conversations with those around us. Instead of taking narratives at face value, practice asking genuine questions and listening for the perspectives behind each story. By raising questions at the right juncture, you can encourage people to question narratives like the one Owens outlines.
Explore and Build Trust in Institutions: The erosion of trust is a major theme in right-wing media. To counter this, seek out and share authentic stories of institutions doing good—sometimes in surprising places. For example, one member mentioned how events like community deer hunting can serve as credible opportunities for relationship-building and demonstrate how institutions (government, local clubs, nonprofits) can make a tangible, positive impact.
Create Third Spaces for Empathy and Connection: Help foster “third spaces”—clubs, charities, sports events, and creative venues—where people of all backgrounds feel held, listened to, and valued. You can organize local meetups or participate in mutual aid, or simply invite others to join in spaces where open dialogue is welcomed.
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