Candace Owens and Bill Maher Clash on Moon Landings, Climate Change, and Modern American Politics

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Candace Owens and Bill Maher Clash on Moon Landings, Climate Change, and Modern American Politics

Candace Owens sits down with Bill Maher for an unfiltered conversation that touches everything from conspiracy theories to cultural wars. The two spar over climate change narratives, discuss the degradation of modern pornography's impact on men, debate January 6th, and find surprising common ground on trans ideology in schools, parenting challenges, and how political correctness destroyed honest racial humor. Owens shares intimate stories about her grandfather's encounters with real racism while pushing back against modern victimhood culture. From Vivek Ramaswamy's presidential ambitions to the state of masculinity in America, this wide-ranging discussion showcases two strong personalities who aren't afraid to challenge each other, or their own audiences.

October 22, 2023

An Unlikely Meeting of Minds

The conversation begins in Bill Maher's nightclub-like studio, which Candace Owens immediately distinguishes from a "man cave"—since Maher isn't married. Owens reveals she's been essentially pregnant for three consecutive years, expecting her third child in November after having a two-year-old and a one-year-old. She explains her strategic approach to having children back-to-back rather than spacing them out over many years, joking about her competitive nature with colleague Matt Walsh's six children.

When the discussion turns to climate change and resources, Owens pushes back against doom-and-gloom narratives, citing a book she recently read debunking common climate alarmism. Maher counters with concerns about groundwater depletion, but Owens frames the climate issue as a trillion-dollar hoax designed to make people fearful about having children. The exchange highlights their fundamental disagreement on environmental issues, with Owens comparing modern climate fears to the shifting narratives from global cooling to global warming to climate change.

The Moon Landing Controversy

Maher brings up an obscure Twitter thread where Owens jokingly questioned the moon landing, asking why humanity hasn't returned. What was meant as a lighthearted "conspiracy theory that almost got you" tweet becomes a point of contention. Owens repeatedly emphasizes the tweet was part of a fun, non-serious discussion, while Maher presses her to definitively state whether people walked on the moon.

The exchange becomes heated as Owens accuses Maher of digging up an irrelevant tweet to undermine her credibility on more substantive issues. She points out she's never discussed moon landing conspiracies on her podcast and that the topic is "utterly inconsequential" to her work. Maher argues that believing the moon landing was a hoax colors his perception of her other views, including on climate change. Owens eventually states she doesn't know enough about moon missions to have an informed opinion, emphasizing she only speaks on topics she's researched thoroughly.

Parenting in Modern America

Both commentators find common ground on the challenges facing parents today. They discuss the absurdity of schools keeping gender transitions secret from parents, with some blue states prohibiting schools from notifying parents if their child changes gender identity at school. Maher expresses how difficult parenting has become when children are treated like "short adults" rather than being properly disciplined and given boundaries.

Owens shares a story about a parent who refused to tell their child "no," questioning what happens when that child grows up without boundaries. The conversation extends to vaccine schedules, with Owens noting that children went from receiving 12 vaccines in 1982 to 75 today, while infant mortality rates remain high compared to other developed nations. Both agree that parents should have autonomy over medical decisions for their children without state interference.

They discuss a Beverly Hills doctor's family where multiple young children identify as non-binary, trans, or gay—a statistical impossibility that Owens attributes to lack of parenting. She emphasizes that such identities didn't exist when she graduated high school in 2007, questioning why this phenomenon appears to be regional and concentrated in liberal areas.

The Degradation of Pornography and Masculinity

Maher and Owens find surprising agreement on pornography's harmful effects on men. Owens argues that widespread internet pornography is "rendering men weak," establishing destructive neural pathways when young boys are exposed too early. Maher acknowledges the dramatic shift from the relatively tame magazine era of the 1970s and 80s to today's immediately accessible, violent, and "rapy" content that he finds ugly and off-putting.

Owens shares that when she discusses porn addiction on her podcast, countless men respond saying they've struggled for years. The conversation touches on AI-generated OnlyFans accounts where men give money to completely fabricated personas. Both agree this represents a broader crisis of lost masculinity in America, with men struggling more than women in education, employment, and life satisfaction.

Maher admits pornography prevented him from marrying, as he couldn't accept a life with only one sexual partner. Owens suggests this proves pornography's unhealthy effects, preventing people from accessing "a whole other side of life that's beautiful and wonderful." The discussion extends to how modern pornography has infiltrated everyday life through advertising and social media, making it nearly impossible to avoid.

January 6th and Trump's Election Denial

The conversation takes a contentious turn when discussing Donald Trump's refusal to concede the 2020 election. Maher states he predicted for five years that Trump would never concede and would never go away, claiming he was "all alone on a raft" with this prediction. He argues the worst aspect wasn't just the January 6th Capitol incident, but that for the first time in American history, a president refused to accept the peaceful transfer of power.

Owens counters by bringing up BLM riots during the summer of 2020, describing her experience living in Washington D.C. when "cars were flipped, things were burned, people were boarding up their windows." She questions how elderly people entering the Capitol could be considered "the worst thing" in American politics. The discussion becomes heated as Owens raises questions about pipe bombs allegedly placed outside RNC and DNC headquarters the night before January 6th, asking why the FBI hasn't identified the perpetrator.

Maher emphasizes that Trump's legal troubles stem from specific laws broken, including forgery and the scheme to put forward fake electors. He details how Trump's own Homeland Security Department, Director of National Intelligence, every court, his lawyers, his daughter, and Bill Barr all told him he lost the election. Owens allows that there may be elements to the story not fully reported by media, though she maintains media never gives the full picture on any topic.

Media Hoaxes and the "Grab Them By The P***y" Tape

Discussing media narratives around Trump, Owens challenges the interpretation of the infamous Access Hollywood tape. She argues Trump was engaging in "locker room talk" about groupies who "throw themselves" at celebrities, not admitting to sexual assault. Owens points out he said "they will let you do anything" rather than claiming he actually grabbed anyone, and that both men and women engage in crude private conversations.

Maher concedes that groupie culture exists but maintains that saying "you can grab them by the pussy" isn't something people should defend. Owens argues the media "pretended he said I personally went in and grabbed a woman" when he was actually describing what star-struck women allow. She connects this to her opposition to the #MeToo movement and "rabid feminism," stating it's harmful to pretend groupie culture doesn't exist in music videos and celebrity culture.

The discussion touches on how the media treated Trump differently from other presidents, with Owens claiming there was an "obsession with taking him down" from the moment he announced his candidacy. She describes being woken up by the media's treatment of Trump, which helped convert her from liberal to conservative. Maher pushes back that people who oppose any president try to destroy them, citing similar treatment of Obama.

The 2024 Presidential Race

When discussing the Republican primary field, Owens and Maher debate whether candidates are running for vice president. Maher argues that historically, presidents often pick their main primary opponent as VP, citing examples like Lyndon Johnson and John F. Kennedy who "hated each other." He suggests this is practically a qualification since the VP brings in a different coalition and complements the president's weaknesses.

Owens disagrees that candidates like Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley are running for VP. She suggests Haley is motivated by money, noting she was millions in debt when starting her career and now has money "pouring into her coffers." Regarding Vivek Ramaswamy, Owens praises him as a "true academic, high-achieving, nice guy" but agrees with Maher's advice that he should stop rapping, calling it "not a good look."

On Mike Pence, Maher jokes that Pence believes "Jesus will decide" the outcome, while Owens suggests he's running because he doesn't know what to do next after serving as governor and vice president, and wants to separate his brand from Trump despite genuine bad blood between them. Both agree Trump will be the nominee and the primary is essentially about positioning for the future or other opportunities.

Real Racism Versus Manufactured Outrage

Owens shares powerful stories about her grandfather, who raised her and experienced actual Ku Klux Klan violence in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She describes how Klansmen shot into their home while the children hid under beds, and her great-grandfather would shoot back at them. This experience informs her perspective that modern claims of pervasive racism are insulting to those who lived through genuine racial terror.

She recounts testifying before Congress about the "rise of white supremacy" with her grandfather sitting behind her. In her opening statement, she called it insulting to harness what her grandfather lived through when she hasn't "lived through a day of that" in her life. Owens expresses sadness that Black Americans have "gotten weak," abandoning the strength and humor that characterized previous generations who could "turn pain into humor."

Maher asks if she's ever encountered a real racist, sharing his own story from 1974 when his boss at a summer job saw Black children and said "they're cute now but they grow up to be [n-word]." Owens discusses prison calls from Steven Avery (subject of her documentary series) where he and his family casually use racial slurs, but argues these people are "so stupid" that being offended by them would "lower my standards." She emphasizes that giving power to such ignorant racism is a mistake.

Both agree that polling shows dramatic changes in white Americans' attitudes, with the percentage wanting to live in diverse communities shifting by 90 points since the 1970s. Owens advocates for returning to an era when comedians could make racial jokes and everyone could laugh together, arguing that walking on eggshells prevents people from getting closer rather than bringing them together.

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