Candace Owens has accused Turning Point USA of faking viewership numbers from its All-American Halftime Show.
Turning Point USA, the nonprofit conservative organization founded by late activist Charlie Kirk, staged its own Super Bowl halftime event Sunday amid outrage over the NFL’s decision to choose Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny and his all-Spanish songs.
Kid Rock headlined the alternative MAGA performance, with Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice and Gabby Barrett also featuring, and millions of fans are estimated to have watched it instead of Bad Bunny.
The show’s live stream on YouTube peaked at more than five million viewers midway through, while the final viewing count sits at 19 million at the time of writing.
Yet according to Owens, a conservative commentator and friend of Kirk’s who previously worked as a communications director for Turning Point USA, those numbers are far from accurate.
The controversial podcaster said about Bad Bunny and Turning Point USA’s respective shows on X: ‘I am sorry but I hate both options. On the one hand, we have a half-time show presented without a word of English spoken.
Turning Point USA has been accused of faking viewership numbers from its halftime show
Conservative political commentator Candace Owens claims TPUSA ‘scammed’ the public
‘On the other hand we have an organization that scammed its views by paying platform advertisers, followed by influencers to pretend they broke records.
‘The left vs. right grift is actually boring now. What exactly are we doing here, America?’
Owens also responded to a post which initially captured the YouTube stream’s total viewing figures at under 6,000, saying: ‘The problem with people who have a lot of money they didn’t earn, is that they tend to have no idea how stuff actually works.
‘No, this is not a possible result if you truly had 5.2 million live viewers.’
She also added: ‘Note: what they will do now is spend an offensive amount on YouTube ads overnight to bring their viewership up while we sleep.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Turning Point USA for comment.
Owens has sparked controversy in recent months after telling her followers that Turning Point USA is somehow to blame for Kirk’s assassination.
In December, she compared the organization’s blockade against criticism to that of liberal groups like Black Lives Matter.
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Was Turning Point USA misleading viewers?
Kid Rock headlined the alternative show, which YouTube says was watched by 19 million
Millions of Americans switched over from Bad Bunny’s musical performance at the Super Bowl
Owens, once a friend of Kirk’s, has sparked controversy in recent months after telling her followers that Turning Point USA is somehow to blame for his assassination
Kirk’s widow, Erika, now chief executive of TPUSA, who stepped into the role after her husband’s murder, has warned Owens that she would not allow her colleagues to be targeted by online trolls.
The All-American Halftime Show began with a message of ‘this one’s for you Charlie’ before a rocky rendition of the Stars and Stripes was aired to viewers’ delight.
Rock initially emerged for his headline performance simply as ‘Kid Rock’, before later being introduced by his real name – Robert Ritchie – for a stripped-back acoustic section.
At the end of the show, cameras zoomed out from the headliner and his guitar to reveal photos of Kirk, his wife Erika and their two children, alongside the words: ‘In Remembrance of Charlie Kirk.’
