AmericaFest Erupts as Shapiro and Carlson Clash Over Speech, Guests, and the Conservative Movement’s Future

Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest conference reportedly descended into an open feud Thursday as conservative heavyweights Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson used their speeches to launch pointed attacks against each other, exposing deep divisions inside the conservative movement.

Shapiro fired the opening salvo during his remarks, sharply criticizing Carlson for the guests he has hosted on his program and for what Shapiro described as a refusal to publicly condemn Candace Owens amid her ongoing conspiracy theories surrounding the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

“The people who refuse to condemn Candace’s truly vicious attacks, and some of them are speaking here, are guilty of cowardice,” Shapiro told the crowd. He argued that remaining silent while Owens promotes what he called conspiratorial claims amounts to moral failure. According to Shapiro, personal friendships do not excuse public figures from speaking out when others engage in harmful or misleading behavior.

Shapiro then turned his focus squarely on Carlson, arguing that media hosts bear responsibility for the individuals they choose to amplify. He accused Carlson of giving credibility to extremist figures and failing to challenge them meaningfully.

Shapiro cited Carlson’s decision to host Nick Fuentes, a far-right provocateur known for inflammatory rhetoric, and said that platforming such a figure without forceful questioning amounts to endorsement. He also criticized Carlson for his treatment of Andrew Tate, whom Shapiro described as a pornographer facing serious allegations, and for giving airtime to Darryl Cooper, whom Shapiro characterized as a pseudo-historian who downplays Nazi atrocities.

“Kirk understood that elevating people like Fuentes was morally wrong,” Shapiro said, arguing that Carlson had done precisely that by helping to legitimize fringe voices. He stressed that hosts are accountable not only for who appears on their platforms, but for how those guests are presented to audiences.

Carlson responded later in the evening with a mix of sarcasm and defiance. Opening his speech, he joked that he had just arrived and hoped he hadn’t missed anything important, before admitting he had watched Shapiro’s remarks and found them amusing.

“To hear calls for denouncing and effectively deplatforming people at a Charlie Kirk event is wild,” Carlson said, expressing disbelief that such arguments were being made at a conference dedicated to free expression.

Carlson framed Shapiro’s criticisms as reminiscent of the ideological purges conservatives have long condemned on the left. He argued that cancel culture tactics have no place in a movement that claims to value open debate.

Referencing Charlie Kirk’s legacy, Carlson said Kirk firmly believed in allowing debate across ideological lines and resisted pressure from donors and allies to exclude controversial voices. Carlson claimed that in the final months of Kirk’s life, he personally faced significant pressure to be removed from AmericaFest, but that Kirk stood his ground.

“Charlie stood firm in his belief that people should be able to debate,” Carlson said, adding that Kirk’s commitment to open dialogue was central to his life’s work.

Carlson concluded by rejecting what he sees as renewed attempts at ideological policing on the right. “I thought we’d reached the end of that,” he said, referring to cancel culture. “As far as I’m concerned, we have, and I’m not going to play by those rules.”

Shapiro also took aim at Megyn Kelly during his speech, accusing her of failing to adequately condemn Owens’ claims.

The heated exchange underscored a growing rift within conservative media, as prominent figures openly spar over the boundaries of acceptable speech, responsibility, and the direction of the movement heading into a contentious political future.