What did Candace Owens say about Carlee Russell? Commentator compares missing Alabama woman to Jussie Smollett 

Conservative political commentator, author, activist, and TV presenter Candace Owens is once again back in the headlines, this time for calling out Carlee Russell, the Alabama woman who was declared missing last Thursday, but came back home two days later. In Wednesday’s episode of her podcast Candace Owens Podcast, she went on record to say that Carlee Russell “traumatized an entire nation” with her abduction account.

Candace Owens’ comments were based on the Hoover Police Department’s (which was investigating Russell’s alleged abduction) claim that there were several red flags and gaps in Russell’s story that hinted that she may have staged her own abduction.

Prior to speaking on her podcast, Candace Owens also took to Twitter to compare Carlee Russell to actor Jussie Smollett and even called her ten times worse.

For those unaware, in January 2019, Jussie Smollett staged an elaborate and pre-planned “hate crime” attack against himself in Chicago, following which he made a false police complaint.

However, it ended up being revealed as a hoax and publicity stunt, for which in December 2021 he was convicted of five felonies for disorderly conduct and was sentenced in March 2021 to 150 days of prison time.

Six days into county prison, he was released on bond. But his case is still on appeal.

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“I didn’t expect it to meet the level of Jussie Smollett's absurdity.”: Candace Owens slams Carlee Russell for allegedly staging her own kidnapping

On July 13, a 25-year-old Hoover native in Alabama, Carlee Russell was allegedly kidnapped by two men. However, two days later, she returned home on foot and told the police that she managed to escape.

As per her accounts, the nursing student exited her vehicle on the side of Interstate 459 in Hoover to attend to a toddler who she thought was lost. In fact, she dialed 911 and even a family member, shortly before she vanished from the scene and was reported to be kidnapped.

However, the Hoover Police Department is not convinced of Russell’s story. In fact, in Wednesday’s press conference, Chief Nicholas Derzi said that Russell’s abduction account raised many red flags and his department failed to verify her story.

Derzi revealed how they found Russell’s car running in front of a Target joint, with her phone, purse, wig, and hat inside. However, no account of the kid could be traced.

Not only that but the police also found that Carlee had made several internet searches related to Amber Alert and Taken, two popular kidnapping-based movies, apart from searching for bus stations, tickets, and routes in the hours leading up to her disappearance. He also hinted that the abduction may have been completely staged.

After such a bombshell announcement from the police, Candace Owens spoke about Russell’s mysterious kidnapping case on her Wednesday podcast. Owens believed that Russell “should spend some time in prison” for making a false report to the police.

Owens believes that filing false police reports that may have a nationwide impact is wrong and it leads an entire community to look for the missing person.

Candace Owens also added how Carlee Russell’s story reminded her of Jussie Smollet who was convicted of making false police reports in 2019 for an alleged hate crime against him and had to suffer the consequences.

“I didn’t expect Russell’s story to be this bad. I didn’t expect it to meet the level of Jussie Smollett's absurdity. I thought maybe she was a Jussie Smollett, maybe 2.0. No, this girl took Jussie Smollett to the max.”

Candace Owens also took to her Instagram Live to talk about the Carlee Russell story. She began by demanding how the Black people should praise her for “yet again calling out another scam” within the community.

She also called Russell “Carlee Smollett” and slammed her for “snatching her own wig” and being worse than Jussie Smollett.

Candace Owens also joked about how it suited Russell for being exposed so easily and so soon for doing such a low job. She also clarified how she attacked Russell from day one not because of her skin color, but because her story was suspicious.

As of Wednesday, the Hoover Police Department did not reveal whether they will press charges against Russell for potentially filing a false police report, however, experts have suggested that charges are imminent.

For instance, former FBI agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told News Nation that the Carlee Russell story is “a tragedy for all who go missing and for all who are abducted and for all who have suffered and will suffer.” She also said how repercussions of Russell’s actions were on their way.

Likewise, former Alabama criminal defense attorney Erin Guster also told the news outlet that he expects the police “to bring a tsunami of charges” and also let the world know that Hoover is not an unsafe place.