Megyn Marie Kelly (/ˈmeɪɡən/; born November 18, 1970)[2] is an American journalist, attorney, political commentator, and media personality.[3][4][5] She currently hostsThe Megyn Kelly Show, a talk show and podcast that airs daily onSirius XM's Triumph channel and has over 4 million subscribers onYouTube.[6] Kelly previously worked atFox News from 2004 to 2017, where she hosted programs includingAmerica Live andThe Kelly File, and atNBC News from 2017 to 2018, where she anchoredMegyn Kelly Today. In 2025, she launched MK Media, a podcast and video network featuring commentary and news programs from independent creators. She was named one ofTime's100 most influential people of 2014 and 2025.[7][8][9][10]
During her time at Fox News, Kelly hostedAmerica Live from 2010 to 2013 and co-anchoredAmerica's Newsroom withBill Hemmer. She also moderated several presidential primary debates during the 2016 and 2024 election cycles. Her showThe Kelly File, which aired from 2013 to 2017, focused on breaking news and political events and was one of the network's top-rated programs. After leaving Fox News in January 2017, Kelly joined NBC News to hostMegyn Kelly Today. She left NBC in January 2019 and later transitioned to independent media with her podcast and online platforms.
Early life and education
Kelly was born on November 18, 1970 inChampaign, Illinois,[11][12] to Edward Francis Kelly, Ed.D.,[13] who taught in the School of Education at theState University of New York at Albany, and Linda (née DeMaio), a homemaker.[14] She grew up with an older sister, Suzanne (1964–2022) and an older brother, Pete (born c. 1965).[15] She is of Italian and German descent on her mother's side and Irish descent on her father's.[14] She was raisedCatholic.[16] Her father died of a heart attack in 1985 when she was 15 years old.[17][18] She also has a step-sister and a step-brother from her mother's second marriage, to Peter Kirwan.[19]
In 2003, Kelly moved toWashington, D.C., where she was hired by theABC affiliateWJLA-TV as a general assignment reporter.[18] She covered national and local events, including live coverage of the confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court JusticeSamuel Alito and Chief JusticeJohn G. Roberts, the retirement of JusticeSandra Day O'Connor, the death of Chief JusticeWilliam Rehnquist, and the2004 presidential election.[27]CNN presidentJonathan Klein later said he regretted not hiring Kelly as a reporter at the beginning of her career, because she was "the one talent you'd want to have from somewhere else".[21]
2004–2017: Fox News
In 2004, Kelly applied for a job atFox News.[27] She contributed legal segments forSpecial Report with Brit Hume and hosted her own legal segment,Kelly's Court, duringWeekend Live. She appeared in a weekly segment onThe O'Reilly Factor and occasionally filled in forGreta Van Susteren onOn the Record, where most of her reporting focused on legal and political matters. She occasionally contributed as an anchor, but more often as a substitute anchor on weekends.[28] On February 1, 2010, Kelly began hosting her own two-hour afternoon show,America Live, which replacedThe Live Desk.[29][30] She was a guest panelist on Fox News' late-night satire programRed Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. In 2010, viewership forAmerica Live increased by 20%, averaging 1,293,000 viewers, and increased by 4% in the 25–54 age demographic, averaging 268,000 viewers.[31] In December 2010, Kelly hosted a New Year's Eve special withBill Hemmer.[32]
Kelly received media attention for her coverage of the results of the2012 United States presidential election. On election night, Fox News'decision desk projected that Obama would win the state ofOhio along with a second term after part of the results had been released. Republican operativeKarl Rove objected to this projection, whereupon Kelly - with camera following - dramatically walked backstage to the decision desk and spoke with them; she also asked Rove, "Is this just math that you do as aRepublican to make yourself feel better? Or is this real?"[33][34][35][36] Kelly leftAmerica Live in July 2013 and tookmaternity leave. That October she began hosting a new nightly program,The Kelly File.[37]The Kelly File was occasionally the channel's ratings leader, toppingThe O'Reilly Factor.[38][39]
In December 2013, Kelly commented on aSlate article onThe Kelly File: "For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white, but this person is just arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa," adding, "But Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we're just debating this because someone wrote about it." Kelly also said thatJesus was a white man later in the segment.[40] Soon after,Jon Stewart,[41]Stephen Colbert,[42]Rachel Maddow,[43]Josh Barro,[44] and others satirized her remarks.[45] Two days later, she said on the air that her original comments were "tongue-in-cheek",[46][47][48][49][50] and that the skin color of Jesus is "far from settled".[51] In June 2015, Kelly interviewedJim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar of19 Kids and Counting regarding their sonJosh Duggar's alleged molestation of five girls in 2002. She later interviewed two of their daughters, Jill and Jessa. This show's Nielsen national estimates ratings of 3.09 million viewers, above its average 2.11 million, ranked with the 3.2 million for theMalaysia Airlines Flight 17 shootdown coverage and 7.3 million for theFerguson riots coverage.[52]
In theRepublican Party presidential debate on August 6, 2015, Kelly asked then-presidential candidateDonald Trump whether a man of his temperament ought to be elected president, noting that he has called various women insulting names in the past.[53] Kelly's moderating generated a range of media and political reactions and her professionalism was crudely criticized by Trump.[54][55][56][57] Kelly responded to Trump's criticism by saying she would not "apologize for doing good journalism".[58] Trump declined to attend theIowa January 28 debate that she moderated.[59] After the debate and off-camera,Ted Cruz said that Kelly had referred to Trump off-camera as "Voldemort", though Fox News denied it.[60]Bill Maher complimented Kelly as being "so much better" than the candidates who attended the January 28 debate and argued that she was a more viable candidate for the Republican nomination.[61] According to reporting byThe Atlantic, she had been "ordered" by Rupert Murdoch, then in control of Fox News, "to hit Trump hard".[62]
In an interview withCBS News Sunday Morning, Kelly reflected that she was disappointed with the lack of support she received from coworkerBill O'Reilly andCNN, the latter airing a Trump event the same time as the debate.[63][64] In April, at her request,[65] Kelly met with Trump atTrump Tower, having "a chance to clear the air".[66] The following month, after interviewing Trump and being met with mixed reception,[67] she expressed interest in doing another one with him.[68] In June, she criticized Trump for his claims against judgeGonzalo P. Curiel's impartiality.[69] In October, a contentious discussion between Kelly andNewt Gingrich onThe Kelly File regarding Trump's sexual comments in a2005 audio recording gained widespread social media reaction.[70]
In March 2016, it was announced that Kelly would host a one-hour prime time special on theFox network wherein she would interview celebrities from the worlds of "politics, entertainment, and other areas of human interest".[71] The special aired in May 2016, which was asweeps month.[72] It acquired 4.8 million viewers, but placed third in the ratings.[73]Gabriel Sherman wrote of the stakes for Kelly as "high", elaborating that with Kelly being in the final year of her contract with Fox and having confirmed her ambitions, "[t]he special was essentially a public interview for her next job."[74]
In July 2016, amid allegations of sexual harassment on the part of Fox News CEORoger Ailes, Kelly was reported to have confirmed that she herself was also subjected to his harassment.[75][76] Two days after the report, Ailes resigned from Fox News and his lawyer,Susan Estrich, publicly denied the charge.[77] During Kelly's coverage of the2016 Republican National Convention, her attire received criticism.[78] In a defense of Kelly, Jenavieve Hatch ofThe Huffington Post commented, "If you're a woman on national television reporting on a political event from hot, humid Cleveland, wearing a weather-appropriate outfit makes you the target of an endless stream of sexist commentary."[79] In September 2016, it was reported that Kelly would be collaborating withMichael De Luca to produceEmbeds, a scripted comedy about reporters covering politics, to be aired on a streaming service.[80][81] Kelly appeared on the cover of the February 2016 issue ofVanity Fair.[82] In 2016, she was an honoree forVariety'sPower of Women for her addressingchild abuse.[83]
In late 2016, with her Fox contract in its final months, Kelly was rumored to be actively considering moving to other news networks.[84][85] In January 2017,The New York Times reported that she would leave Fox News for a "triple role" atNBC News, which would include roles hosting a daytime talk show and a forthcoming Sunday-night newsmagazine, as well as becoming a correspondent for major news events and political coverage.[86][87] She departed Fox News on January 6, 2017, after the last episode ofThe Kelly File was aired.[88][89] In January 2017People, quoting an unspecified source, reported that Kelly remained under anon-compete clause with Fox until July 2017, which would prevent her from working for a competitor until the clause expired, unless it would be canceled prior.[90]
Kelly was paid reportedly between $15 million and $20 million a year at NBC.[98] After an initial run of eight episodes in the summer of 2017, NBC decided to bring her newsmagazine showSunday Night with Megyn Kelly back for summer 2018 after a hiatus for football and the Winter Olympics, but only periodically. However, this return never materialized.[99][100] Instead, Kelly continued to report stories forDateline NBC during the summer of 2018, continuing her work for the show which she joined in 2017.[101]
On October 23, 2018, Kelly was criticized for on-air remarks she made onMegyn Kelly Today related to the appropriateness ofblackface as part ofHalloween costumes. She recollected that "when I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up like a character", and defendedLuann de Lesseps's use of skin darkening spray to wear aDiana Ross Halloween costume.[102][103] After receiving backlash for her comments, Kelly issued an internal email apologizing for the remarks later that day.[104] Three days later, NBC canceledMegyn Kelly Today.[105] It had been reported that Kelly was considering ending the program to focus on her role as a correspondent.[106] Her employment was terminated on January 11, 2019, and she was paid the $30 million due for the remainder of her contract.[107][108][109]
Kelly announced the launch of Devil May Care Media, her media production company, on September 10, 2020, with a podcast,The Megyn Kelly Show.[110] Its first episode premiered on September 28, 2020.[111] On July 6, 2021, it was announced that the podcast would move toSirius XM on September 7, 2021, to broadcast weekdays at 12 noon ET on the talk radio channel Triumph, along with a video simulcast available to Sirius XM subscribers.[112]
Since transitioning to independent media,The Megyn Kelly Show has experienced significant growth. In July 2023, the show's YouTube channel attracted 116.8 million views, surpassing the viewership of major news outlets during the same period, including NBC News (78 million) and CBS News (83 million).[113] As of November 2025, Kelly's YouTube channel alone has over 4 million subscribers,[6] and it has become one of the top ten podcasts in the U.S. Despite running with a small team, her show has gained significant traction, positioning her as a prominent figure in the digital media space.[114]
On December 6, 2023, Kelly returned to the moderator desk to co-host the fourth Republican primary debate onNewsNation, alongsideElizabeth Vargas andEliana Johnson.[115][116] This marked her first return to moderating a presidential debate since her time at Fox News, where she famously moderated thefirst Republican Party presidential debate in 2015.[117] The debate, which was hosted by independent media figures, was part of theRepublican National Committee's move toward embracing alternative media platforms over traditional establishment networks.[118] The event took place without the participation ofDonald Trump, the leading Republican candidate at the time.[119]
On November 4, 2024, the day before the2024 presidential election, Kelly publicly endorsedDonald Trump at a rally inPittsburgh. In her speech, she expressed support for his policies on women's rights,border security, immigration, andtransgender athletes in women's sports, stating that he would be a "protector" of women.[120] Afterward, Kelly posted a selfie with Trump onX, captioned, "God bless him. Go vote for him!"[121] While Kelly had previously clashed with Trump during the2016 campaign, when he referred to her as "nasty" following a widely publicizeddebate exchange, her endorsement in 2024 revealed a stark change in their relationship.[122][123]
Kelly attended theTrump's second inauguration in January 2025, and delivered remarks on stage at his rally the night before.[124]
On February 18, 2025, Kelly announced the launch of a second podcast,AM Update with Megyn Kelly, which premiered on February 19. UnlikeThe Megyn Kelly Show, which features guest discussions and debates,AM Update follows a daily digest format, summarizing major headlines.[125]
On March 10, 2025, Kelly won theIHeartRadio podcast award for Best Political Podcast.[126][127]
In March 2025, Kelly launched MK Media, a podcast and video network focused on news and entertainment. Its initial lineup includedNext Up withMark Halperin,The Nerve withMaureen Callahan, andSpot On withLink Lauren, with new episodes airing multiple times per week. The network expanded on Kelly’s existing media presence, includingThe Megyn Kelly Show andAM Update, with longtime producer Steve Krakauer overseeing production. Additional shows were reported to be in development.[128][129] With the first additional showAfter Party withEmily Jashinsky launching in June 2025.[130]
On May 6, 2025, Kelly's podcast ranked 3rd in TopRight-Wing podcasts by subscribers for Q1. Her podcast had the most YOY % growth at 176%. She is also the only female in the top 10.[131][132]
In April 2024, Kelly revealed that she voted forDonald Trump in the2020 presidential election and would vote for him again in2024 despite their turbulent relationship in the past. She explained that her decision was driven particularly by issues liketransgender issues and cultural changes that were affecting her children. Kelly stated that her vote was based on principles rather than personal preference, emphasizing her desire to protecttraditional values and preservefundamental freedoms.[136][137]
In 2025, Kelly opened up about her shift in political standing over the years onThe Megyn Kelly Show, stating that:[138]
"When I was at Fox and then for that year at NBC, I was more in the center. I was like definitely center-right. Now I think I'm pretty conservative. I mean, I just am now. I mean, the earth has shifted such that I think I have to say, yes, by today's standards, you'd call me conservative. But that's thanks to them. What they did to me, they were vicious. They're complete assholes. Their woke ideology completely radicalized me against them. And I love that. It empowered me in a way that allowed me to see the truth about them. That was very helpful to me. I wouldn't undo it if I could because it really helped me understand who I was dealing with over there."
LGBTQ issues
In 2023, Kelly explained that her opinion had shifted from supporting "preferred pronouns" to opposing them, citing concerns about their connection togender-affirming care for minors. She argued that such policies harmedwomen's rights and children's safety. Kelly stated she would no longer use preferred pronouns but would still approach transgender individuals with empathy. She also criticized the inclusion oftransgender women in women's spaces and sports, as well as medical intervention for transgender youth.[139]
In 2024, after singerTaylor Swift endorsedKamala Harris before the2024 presidential election, citing her running mateTim Walz's LGBTQ policies, Kelly criticized the endorsement during an on-stage interview withTucker Carlson. She accused Swift of "alienating half her fan base" by taking a side in a hotly contested debate, adding, in reference to Walz’s LGBTQ policies, "...that is what Taylor Swift just endorsed for your children. So screw you, Taylor Swift."[140]
Gun policy
In response to theMinneapolis Catholic school shooting in August 2025, Kelly argued onThe Megyn Kelly Show that broadgun reform would be ineffective in the United States given the prevalence of firearms and constitutional protections under theSecond Amendment. She stated that “the bad guys are the ones who get them. You would just be disarming the law-abiding ones,” explaining that individuals intent on committing mass violence would either obtain guns illegally or find other means to carry out attacks. Kelly said she supported targeted interventions for individuals with serious mental health concerns, adding that “putting red flags all over people who have serious mental health histories and trying to take their guns away, I'm with you. I'm actually more to the left on that issue than a lot of my conservative friends.”[141]
Instead, Kelly advocated for increased armed security at schools and adjacent institutions, stating that “we need more good guys with guns on soft targets,” and called for improvements in the mental health system. She also criticized media and political discussions that focus primarily ongun control, arguing that such debates distract from practical measures that would protect children.[142] Kelly argued that while the United States cannot eliminate every threat, it could take concrete steps to better secure schools and other vulnerable locations, reiterating her view that gun control is not the answer.[143][144]
Israel–Hamas conflict
In an August 2025 discussion with Rep.Marjorie Taylor Greene about theGaza war, Kelly said that while she believes children in Gaza are starving and hurting, she blames Hamas, arguing that Hamas has stolen aid and uses the suffering of children for propaganda purposes. She also described thePalestinians as "very good manipulators of media," adding that she no longer trusts casualty figures released by Hamas, and said Israel was "losing the propaganda war" as a result.[145]
Writing
In February 2016, Kelly signed an agreement withHarperCollins to write an autobiography scheduled for release later that year, in a deal worth more than $10 million.[146][147][148] The book, titledSettle for More, was released on November 15, 2016.[149][150]
Accolades
In 2009, Kelly received an award fromChildhelp for her work as a Fox News anchor covering the subject of child abuse.[151]
Kelly was honored with an Alumni Achievement Award from the Albany Law School in 2010 for her 15th class reunion.[152]
On March 10, 2025, Kelly won theIHeartRadio podcast award for Best Political podcast.[126][127]
In popular culture
Bombshell
Bombshell, a 2019 film about Roger Ailes' sexual misconduct and resignation from Fox News, was released on December 13, withCharlize Theron portraying Kelly—a role that earned an Oscar nomination.[154] Kelly said she wasn’t consulted for the film, but after viewing it, she hosted a roundtable with others involved, confirming and disputing parts of the film and calling it an emotional experience.[155][156]
Mr. Birchum
In early 2023, Kelly teased that she had to joinSAG-AFTRA for an upcoming secret project. On November 30, 2023, she revealed on her show that she was set to star alongsideDanny Trejo,Roseanne Barr, andAdam Carolla inMr. Birchum, a newDaily Wire adult animated comedy series which debuted in early 2024.[157][158]
Personal life
Kelly speaking at the 2024 Young Women's Leadership Summit at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas
Kelly was first married in 2001 to Daniel Kendall, ananesthesiologist, in aCatholic ceremony. Their marriage ended in divorce in 2006.[159] In March 2024, Kelly disclosed that she was undergoing theCatholic annulment process for her marriage with Kendall.[160]
In 2008, Kelly marriedDouglas Brunt, then president and CEO of the cybersecurity firmAuthentium.[161] Brunt later transitioned to a career as a full-time writer and novelist.[162] The couple has three children: son Yates (born 2009), daughter Yardley (born 2011), and son Thatcher (born 2013),[163][164][165][166] all conceived throughin vitro fertilization.[167][168] The family resides in Connecticut during the school year, and spends summers at their waterfront home in New Jersey.[169]
In 2022, Kelly announced that her older sister, Suzanne Crossley, had died from a heart attack following a battle withopioid addiction.[175] Crossley left behind three children and a grandson.[176][177]
^Kelly, Edward Francis. "Curriculum Evaluation and Literary Criticism: The Explication of an Analogy." Ed.D. dissertation, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1971.
^Lewis, Andy (February 4, 2015)."Megyn Kelly Signs Book Deal".The Hollywood Reporter.Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. RetrievedDecember 12, 2019.
^Zuckerman, Joshua (August 10, 2011)."Megyn Kelly Shares Photo of Daughter Yardley".People.Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. RetrievedJune 8, 2017....joining big brother Edward Yates, 22 months. 'Yates was [my husband] Doug's father's name, and we felt we needed a strong name to match it,' Kelly, 40, tellsPeople of their name choice.
^Rovzar, Chris (April 14, 2011)."Megyn Kelly Gives Birth to Baby Girl".New York.Archived from the original on September 22, 2018. RetrievedJune 8, 2017.The popular host of Fox News'America Live just gave birth to a girl named Yardley Evans, substitute host Martha MacCallum just announced.
^"Multiple women accuse Trump of bad behavior".Fox News (Transcript). October 12, 2016. Archived fromthe original on October 14, 2016. RetrievedOctober 14, 2016.But I'm Catholic. I've lived as a Catholic my whole life, but I haven't heard my fellow Catholics speak so snidely about our faith, other than in this email.
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