Candace Owens calls Meghan McCain “clinically obese”

Candace Owens called Meghan McCain “clinically obese” after getting into a spat with her husband, Ben Domenech, on social media.

The Spectator World editor-at-large Domenech on Thursday accused Owens of “blood libel” over a post she recently liked on X, formerly Twitter, that suggested a rabbi was “drunk on Christian blood.”

During an exchange about Owens on X with Dave Smith, the comedian told Domenech that “giving the slightest bit of a charitable interpretation makes this nothing. Going off a Twitter like (not even a retweet) let alone the person’s actual words, is a ridiculous standard. Especially when the person in question has spoken at length about this issue.”

It was announced on March 22 that the Daily Wire had parted ways with Owens. While the platform didn’t elaborate on the reasons, it has been widely documented in the months since the Israel-Hamas war began that Owens was at loggerheads with the Daily Wire’s editor emeritus, Ben Shapiro, over their opposing points of view on the conflict.

Owens has faced criticism from a number of her fellow conservatives after speaking out against Israel amid its war with Hamas, which started after the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel in October. Much of Gaza has since been razed in retaliatory strikes from Israel, and huge numbers of the Strip’s 2.3 million residents forced to flee their homes.

Gaza health officials estimate that over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel embarked on retaliatory strikes, and Israeli officials say that roughly 1,200 people were killed in the initial attacks by Hamas.

Responding to Smith’s post regarding Owens, Domenech, who tied the knot with former The View co-host McCain in 2017, said: “I see no reason to be charitable to Candace, who has been nothing but vile to my family.”

“Ok fine,” Smith responded, “but then you’re admitting that this is a personal emotional beef for you.

“You’re publicly calling someone antisemitic when she was clearly just liking a tweet that defended her against lies being spread. For those of us looking at this through sober eyes, can you see where this is grasping at straws?”

In his reply, Domenech noted that it is “not news that I despise Candace, I’ve been criticizing her for 3+ years.”

“I think her embrace of antisemitism started with the Ye [Kanye West] defense, and wrote about it at the time,” Domenech added. “A Like is barely anything by comparison. You’re a serious person who I disagree with; she’s just a professional grifter. I don’t respect trolls.”

The post caught the attention of conservative commentator Owens, who wrote: “Despise? LOL You’re a 42 year old married man. Why do you feel this passionately about me? The feeling is not mutual, you’re too pathetic to despise.

“You’re upset because when your wife was publicly shaming ‘anti-vaxxers’ (namely Joe Rogan) for not receiving the Covid vax, I told her the truth: no sensible person should be taking advice from a clinically obese woman over Joe Rogan regarding health.”

“Health is not a clinically obese person agreeing to get a rushed vaccine so they can lecture others on Twitter,” Owens went on. “Joe Rogan dedicates his life to health. Your wife does not.”

“I do get your infatuation with me however. My opinions tend to age well,” Owens said in a follow-up post. “I bet anyone who listened to your wife and got the vaccine wishes they had instead listened to Joe Rogan.”

In a separate post, Owens commented: “Benny McCain literally married into military industrial complex money. Any person speaking out against Muslims dying is not going to be on his good side.”

“Candace is a garbage grifter,” Domenech hit back. “No one serious in politics or media respects her, including her former colleagues and employees, who despise her. And my wife’s money comes from selling beer, which is great.”

McCain is the daughter of late senator and Vietnam War veteran John McCain and his wife, Cindy McCain. Cindy McCain’s father was wealthy beer distributor Jim Hensley.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Meghan McCain and Owens via email for comment.

Meghan McCain was critical of those who supported Kanye “Ye” West back in late 2022, when he faced a storm of controversy over antisemitic remarks he made on social media and in interviews. Owens, who defended West as he subsequently lost business relationships, famously appeared at his Yeezy fashion show in Paris wearing a shirt emblazoned with the words: “White Lives Matter.“

In December 2021, conservative commentators Meghan McCain and Owens sparred on X, after the former mocked the latter over Donald Trump “schooling” her about the success of COVID-19 vaccines in an interview.

Owens interviewed Trump at the time and suggested that vaccines against COVID were not working. The former president quickly interjected, explaining that the vaccines are highly effective at preventing hospitalizations and death. “People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine,” he said.

Daily Mail columnist Meghan McCain wrote on X about Owens’ interview with Trump. Although she noted that she disliked the presumptive Republican 2024 presidential nominee, she gave him credit for pushing back against Owens.

“Trump schooling Candace Owens with facts and logic regarding getting the vaccine is really a sight to behold. Credit where credit is due and I hate the guy,” McCain wrote.

Hours later, Owens reposted McCain’s comments and made offensive remarks about her weight.

“Hey Meghan—did you know that the overwhelming majority of people dying and/or being hospitalized from Covid-19 are clinically obese? People like you love the vaccine because it allows you to pretend that you care about health,” the podcast host wrote. “People like me see right through that bulls***.”

The spat between the two conservatives escalated from there. Both women took shots at one another and attacked the other’s credibility.

“Lol, I know it stings having your golden God, Trump, call you out on your anti vaxxer bulls***,” McCain wrote in a follow-up tweet.

Owens shot back: “What is up with these pre-school comebacks?”

“You spread misinformation about the safety of vaccines. You’re a danger to public health,” McCain later responded. “Get f*****.”

“Also, ‘get f*****.’ Really, Meghan?” Owens shot back. “So gutter and trashy.”