(LifeSiteNews) — The Daily Wire obtained a gag order against Candace Owens even as co-founder Ben Shapiro was publicly negotiating terms of debate with her about Israel and antisemitism, according to a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist.
Glenn Greenwald reported Thursday that a Daily Wire arbitrator “imposed a gag order of prior restraint on Owens, a former Daily Wire commentator, that “banned” her “from saying or doing anything in the future which could tarnish or harm the reputation of the Daily Wire and/or Ben Shapiro.”
Owens’ tweet in which she requested a debate included a video from comedian Andrew Schulz, who had criticized the Daily Wire for firing Owens over disagreements regarding Israel, and specifically mocked Shapiro for his willingness to debate only undergraduate students,” Greenwald noted. The tweet underneath Owens’ debate request stated that Schulz now “realizes Ben Shapiro is only good at debating college liberals & can’t win debates against serious competition.”
While seeking a gag order for Owens, the Daily Wire allegedly “accused her of violating the non-disparagement clause of her agreement with the company,” citing Owens’ initial tweet requesting a debate with Shapiro as proof of this disparagement.
Yet, just after Owens’ April 5 tweet inviting Shapiro to a debate about “Israel and the current definition of antisemitism” — since Owens’ criticisms of U.S. financing of Israel, and of Israel’s war in Gaza had triggered her departure from the Daily Wire two weeks earlier — both Shapiro and Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing agreed to her debate offer.
That night, Shapiro responded to her tweet request for a debate, writing on X, “Sure, Candace. I texted you on February 29th offering this very thing. Let’s do it on my show this Monday at 5pm at our studios in Nashville; 90 minutes, live-streamed.”
Since Owens did not agree to the proposed format and timing, she tweeted back and forth with Boreing, appearing to negotiate the terms of the debate. Owens had suggested the debate be moderated by Joe Rogan or Lex Fridman, while Shapiro refused a moderator. Owens ultimately publicly accepted conditions put forth by Boreing, including that of refraining from including a moderator.
When followers of both Owens and Shapiro noticed two weeks later that the proposed debate had not yet occurred, Owens pointed out that the Daily Wire had yet to contact her with dates that would work for Shapiro.
According to Greenwald, Owens never heard back because the Daily Wire did not intend to move forward with the debate, having sought a gag order on Owens after she proposed a debate, and even “at exactly the same time that they were claiming in public that they … were even negotiating the terms with her.”
Greenwald stated, “Any such debate would be in conflict with the gag order they obtained on Owens from expressing any criticisms of the site or of Shapiro.”
Aside from citing the way in which she requested a debate with Shapiro as proof of Owens’ violation of her non-disparagement agreement with the Daily Wire, the company “cited various criticisms of the Daily Wire and Shapiro on X that Owens had ‘liked,’ as well as Owens’ allegations that Shapiro appeared to be violating the confidentiality agreement between them by publicly maligning her views to explain her exit from the company.”
Asked for comment by Greenwald, Owens replied, “Wish I could comment on this, but I can’t.” She added, “can neither confirm nor deny.”
Boreing told Greenwald, “Your story is inaccurate to the point of being false,” though Greenwald noted “he did not specify a single inaccuracy, nor did he deny that the Daily Wire had sought and obtained a gag order on Owens at the same time they were publicly posturing as wanting a debate with her.”
Greenwald suggested that the gag order on Owens is ironic considering that Shapiro has “constructed his very lucrative media brand and persona based on his supposed superiority in debating,” and that both Shapiro and the Daily Wire “have also predicated their collective media brand on an eagerness to engage in free and open debate with anyone.”
After the Hamas terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, Owens publicly criticized Israel’s military response, accusing its government of committing “genocide” against the Palestinians in Gaza.
With charges of genocide coming from many quarters of the world, including Jewish groups in the U.S., the Christian political commentator tweeted, “No government anywhere has a right to commit a genocide, ever. There is no justification for a genocide. I can’t believe this even needs to be said or is even considered the least bit controversial to state.”
Shapiro, an Orthodox Jew and a fervent supporter of Israel, slammed Owens for her stance on Israel, saying her behavior was “absolutely disgraceful.”
After aggressive pressure from Zionist rabbis and other staunch supporters of Israel, it was announced Owens and the Daily Wire had “ended their relationship.”
The announcement came from Boreing with a simple tweet on X stating, “Daily Wire and Candace Owens have ended their relationship” that was retweeted by Owens herself.