Candace Owens just lost her latest fight to enter Australia after the country’s highest court ruled against her in a long-running battle over her visa ban.
Three High Court justices unanimously upheld a 2024 decision by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to deny the conservative commentator entry on “character grounds.” Burke said at the time that Owens would “incite discord in the Australian community.”
Owens had reportedly planned a speaking tour across Australia in 2024, but her visa was rejected before the trip began. In her appeal, she argued that the ban violated her right to free political communication, claiming the government was trying to silence her.
The court didn’t buy it. The justices sided with Burke, who had pointed to Owens’s history of controversial remarks, saying her rhetoric was “extremist and inflammatory” toward “Muslim, Black, Jewish and LGBTQIA+ communities.” He said her presence could provoke division and unrest.
Owens, known for her outspoken and often combative style, hosts one of the most popular political podcasts in the U.S. and has built her brand on sparking heated debate. Her planned tour down under was part of a larger international push to expand her audience, but the visa rejection put those plans on ice.
Her trouble didn’t stop at the Australian border. Owens also faced a similar ban from New Zealand, where officials initially blocked her from entering based on Australia’s decision. That ban was later lifted, and New Zealand officials emphasized they still supported freedom of speech.
“The Minister made his decision after considering representations made to him, including the importance of free speech,” a spokesperson for New Zealand’s Associate Minister of Immigration Chris Penk said.
While Owens took her visa battle to Australia’s top court, she’s also been dealing with another major problem overseas. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, filed a defamation lawsuit against her over repeated claims that the French first lady “was born a man.”
“These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were,” the Macrons’ legal filing states.
Owens has refused to back down. Instead of walking back her remarks, she fired back at Brigitte Macron on social media with a mocking message.
“You are a very goofy man, Brigitte. But I’ve got to give it to you, you’ve definitely got balls,” Owens said. “Fire everyone around you who said this was a very good idea for you to be the first sitting first lady of a country to file a lawsuit against a journalist in another country.”
Between losing her visa appeal in Australia and facing an international defamation fight in France, Owens’s global ambitions have hit serious roadblocks. Still, she’s made it clear she has no plans to tone down her message—or her attitude—anytime soon.