Ca dace
Owe s
(Image
via
Getty)
Michael
K owles
has
d aw
a
sha p
li e
a ou d
the
g owi g
public
debate
ove
Cha lie
Ki k’s
mu de ,
ejecti g
the
idea
of
mode ati g
a
p oposed
clash
betwee
Ca dace
Owe s
a d
A d ew
Wilso .
I
comme ts
sha ed
o li e,
K owles
a gued
that
the
case
should
be
ha dled
th ough
the
legal
system
athe
tha
tu ed
i to
a othe
high-p ofile
media
spectacle.
His
ema ks
also
took
aim
at
the
wave
of
co te t
that
has
eme ged
a ou d
Ki k’s
death.
Michael
K owles
ejects
debate
ove
Cha lie
Ki k
mu de
K owles’
positio
ce te s
o
what
he
sees
as
a
se ious
p oblem
with
tu i g
a
mu de
i vestigatio
i to
a
e dless
public
a gume t.
Rathe
tha
becomi g
the
efe ee
fo
a
debate
betwee
Owe s
a d
Wilso ,
he
said
he
believes
the
evide ce
al eady
poi ts
towa d
Tyle
Robi so
as
the
pe so
espo sible.”The
evide ce
is
p etty
clea
Tyle
Robi so
mu de ed
Cha lie
Ki k.”The
stateme t
comes
as
the
ci cumsta ces
su ou di g
Ki k’s
death
co ti ue
to
ge e ate
i te se
discussio
ac oss
co se vative
media
a d
social
platfo ms.
Fo
K owles,
howeve ,
the
most
impo ta t
questio
is
ot
who
ca
build
the
most
co vi ci g
case
o
a
podcast
o
livest eam.
He
believes
c imi al
espo sibility
should
ultimately
be
established
th ough
the
p ope
legal
p ocess.
“I
am
ce tai ly
co vi ced
that
the
guilt
fo
Cha lie’s
mu de
should
be
adjudicated
with
g avity
a d
sob iety
i
a
cou t
of
law
athe
tha
i
a
ou obo os
of
e dless,
ot
to
me tio
luc ative,
podcasts.”That
c iticism
puts
K owles
at
odds
with
the
idea
that
a othe
high-p ofile
debate
would
b i g
cla ity.
Public
disputes
ca
att act
huge
audie ces,
but
they
ca
also
blu
the
disti ctio
betwee
comme ta y,
speculatio
a d
evide ce.K owles
appea s
to
be
calli g
fo
est ai t
at
a
mome t
whe
emotio s
su ou di g
Ki k’s
death
emai
pa ticula ly
st o g.
His
comme ts
suggest
that
a
cou t oom,
athe
tha
a
podcast
studio,
should
be
the
place
whe e
competi g
claims
about
guilt
a e
ultimately
tested.
Why
Michael
K owles
c iticized
the
Cha lie
Ki k
co te t
boom
K owles
also
eflected
o
what
happe ed
to
the
political
ight
followi g
Ki k’s
mu de .
He
ack owledged
that
the
t agedy
b iefly
c eated
a
u usual
se se
of
u ity,
but
a gued
that
the
mome t
did
ot
last.”The
o ly
silve
li i g
i
the
sto m
cloud
of
Cha lie’s
mu de
was
the
b ief
u ity
it
b ought
to
the
ight.”He
the
tu ed
his
atte tio
towa d
the
eactio
f om
the
political
left,
accusi g
some
c itics
of
espo di g
to
Ki k’s
death
i
a
deeply
hostile
way.”The
ight
came
togethe
as
leftists
evealed
thei
ot
a d
c uelty
by
justifyi g
a d
celeb ati g
Cha lie’s
mu de .”His
st o gest
c iticism,
howeve ,
appea ed
to
be
aimed
close
to
home.
K owles
poi ted
to
the
apid
ise
of
shows,
videos
a d
comme ta y
ce te ed
o
Ki k’s
mu de ,
desc ibi g
the
developme t
as
a
ew
media
busi ess
built
a ou d
the
t agedy.”Soo
afte ,
howeve ,
a
cottage
i dust y
sp a g
up
of
Cha lie
mu de
co te t.”He
specifically
add essed
Owe s
a d
he
decisio
to
lau ch
a
se ies
exami i g
the
subject.
K owles
made
clea
that
he
has
p eviously
opposed
he
decisio ,
eve
while
ack owledgi g
that
the
p oject
att acted
sig ifica t
atte tio .”Ca dace,
of
cou se,
lau ched
he
se ies
o
the
subject,
which
I’ve
said
ma y
times
si ce
the
begi i g
I
thought
was
w o g
a d
wish
she
should ‘t
do
it,
but
it
got
lots
of
views.”The
comme ts
add
a othe
laye
to
a
i c easi gly
public
dispute
ove
how
Ki k’s
death
should
be
discussed.
K owles’
efusal
to
mode ate
the
p oposed
debate
sig als
that
he
does
ot
wa t
the
case
educed
to
a othe
political
spectacle.
Fo
him,
the
ce t al
issue
emai s
whethe
allegatio s
a d
evide ce
eceive
the
se ious ess
he
believes
a
mu de
case
dema ds.
