A review by Media Matters found that Owens, Wilson, and Bet-David earned at least 7.2 million combined views across YouTube and Rumble for their livestreams of the debate as of August 17. Owens’ YouTube stream was the most watched, receiving over 4.7 million views.
Media Matters also found at least 58 other YouTube and Rumble channels that aired or reacted live to the conspiracy theory-laden debate, earning at least 3.9 million total views. These channels included those of prominent right-wing podcasters like Steven Crowder, Tim Pool, and Brandon Tatum, as well as manosphere influencers like Myron Gaines and the Whatever podcast.
Kirk’s death has inspired a universe of conspiratorial content spinning out wild theories behind Kirk's shooting. As MS NOW’s Brandy Zadrozny explained, Owens is like “the sun” that “provides the gravitational pull that keeps the entire ‘who killed Charlie Kirk’ universe alive.” Zadrozny explained that Owens “has a stable of volunteers, part of what she calls the Candace Intelligence Agency,” which Zadrozny described as a “cottage industry of conspiracy theorists focused just on this case.” Owens “sits atop a network of online creators who feed off, amplify, and ultimately make money off each other,” she said.
Owens has built her independent media career on conspiracy theories — especially those revolving around Kirk’s death — growing her platforms by 80% between January 2025 and March 2026. Owens targeted Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk in a docuseries called Bride of Charlie and has speculated that Turning Point USA members may have had a role in Charlie Kirk’s killing. Erika Kirk pushed back against Owens, criticizing people “making hundreds of thousands of dollars” by spreading conspiracy theories about her husband’s death.
The debate between Owens and Wilson is just the latest example of how conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk have become so monetarily beneficial. Wilson reportedly offered Owens a $300,000 appearance fee just to participate in the debate; as Will Sommer of The Bulwark explained, “Wilson is effectively paying Owens to collaborate with him and boost his profile in the MAGA movement, like an unknown rapper paying a star for a guest verse on his track.”
Tips poured in from viewers during the stream. Additionally, the debate livestream was paused at least four times for a “three-and-a-half-minute ad break.”
At the end of the more than three-hour debate, Bet-David concluded, “The audience won, and again from the beginning all of this is because of how much love and respect we have for Charlie Kirk” before advising his audience to support and subscribe to his channel as well as those of Owens and Wilson.
