By Steve Contorno, Elle Reeve, Kristen Holmes, CNN
(CNN) — Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, met Monday with podcaster Candace Owens amid an intensifying public feud over Owens’ promotion of conspiracy theories surrounding Kirk’s death.
Both women described the meeting as “productive” in social media posts Monday night. Owens wrote that their conversation lasted 4.5 hours and she promised to share more details on her Tuesday show.
“We agreed much more than I had anticipated,” she said. “Of course, we also disagreed on various points and people as well. Most importantly, we were able to share intel and clarify intent.”
The meeting marked the first direct conversation between Kirk and Owens after a gunman fatally wounded Charlie Kirk during an appearance on a Utah college campus in September. In the months following the killing, the two women communicated only through intermediaries as their relationship deteriorated, according to a person with knowledge of their interactions.
Owens has unsettled a conservative movement still grappling with Kirk’s death by devoting hours of her popular podcast to unproven claims surrounding the shooting and by casting doubt, without evidence, on the government case against the accused gunman.
The speculation has posed an unwelcome challenge for Kirk’s organization and his widow, who have sought to carry forward her husband’s mission without its charismatic leader. Erika Kirk is now leading Turning Point while also promoting her husband’s posthumously published book and raising their two young children.
This week, Turning Point USA will host AmericaFest, its largest annual gathering, in Phoenix. Owens, who regularly appeared at its past events, is not among the announced speakers.
What Owens has said
Owens has alleged Charlie Kirk was betrayed by close friends, suggested a multinational conspiracy involving Israel and France was responsible for his killing and accused the Egyptian military of tracking Erika Kirk for years. (She noted in a separate video posted Monday on Instagram that she asked Erica Kirk “every single question,” including about her allegation that Egypt was tracking Kirk, and would share more details Tuesday.)
She often attributes her knowledge to vague “sources” and insiders at Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization Charlie Kirk founded and built into a major political force. Owens worked at Turning Point from 2017 to 2019 and had a close relationship with Kirk.
Her focus on Kirk’s assassination has coincided with significant growth in her podcast audience. She now has more than 5.6 million subscribers on YouTube and 7.5 million followers on X.
At first, people close to Charlie Kirk opted not to respond publicly to Owens, allowing her space for grief and expecting her focus on the killing to eventually fade, the source familiar with their interactions said. Turning Point at one point confirmed the authenticity of some private text messages sent by Charlie Kirk and posted by Owens.
But their approach shifted as Owens continued to release episodes centered on Kirk’s death, drawing millions of views. Private efforts to dissuade her, including outreach to her inner circle, were unsuccessful, the source said.
Owens has said on her podcast that she would stop what she called her “investigation” into Charlie Kirk’s death if Erika just called her and asked her to do s