Megyn Kelly on "Race Hustler" Joy Reid, "Sleazy" Meghan Markle and her Bootstrap Success

Summary

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Pod Force One

Host: Miranda Devine (New York Post)
Guest: Megyn Kelly
Episode Title: Megyn Kelly on "Race Hustler" Joy Reid, "Sleazy" Meghan Markle and her Bootstrap Success
Release Date: October 8, 2025

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Brief Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation between Miranda Devine and Megyn Kelly, diving into Kelly’s career journey, her experiences in corporate and independent media, her evolving political ideology, the state of contemporary media, and candid opinions on prominent public figures like Joy Reid and Meghan Markle. The discussion is notable for its unfiltered, combative tone and directness, with Kelly offering trenchant critiques of “Wokeism,” the modern Democratic Party, and the mainstream media's decline—while also sharing personal stories of resilience and her guiding principles for success.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Megyn Kelly’s Bootstrapped Podcast Success

• Origins and Growth
  • Launched “The Megyn Kelly Show” during the pandemic amid social upheavals from her children’s playroom, starting with three staffers ([00:34]).
  • Now boasts 150 million monthly views, a top 10 podcast five years running.
  • Quote:

    “Five years feels like a blink...that tiny little desk in the corner of my children's playroom was doing a lot of lifting...the country was in the middle of a massive crisis.” ([01:08] - Megyn Kelly)

• Why She Loves Independent Podcasting
  • Complete creative and editorial control; no network bosses dictating content ([04:21]-[05:33]).
  • Quote:

    “I don't have a single investor...They don't control what I say, and if they tried to, I would fire them. There are no sacred cows. I can say how I actually feel about any subject, and I do.” ([05:33] - Megyn Kelly)

2. Transformation from Corporate Media to Independent Voice

• Corporate vs. Independent Media
  • Fox News offered relative freedom compared to NBC and ABC, but even Fox had its agenda.
  • “None of that compares to this medium [podcasting] where no one controls me.” ([05:33])
• Evolving Political Views
  • Shifted over time from Democrat to “real conservative,” credits Fox environment and legal background for shaping her viewpoint ([06:15]).
  • Quote:

    “Those cartoons all over X. I haven't moved my feet at all. The ground moves underneath me. I'm exactly where I used to be.” ([07:00] - Megyn Kelly)

3. Perspective on the Political and Cultural Landscape

• Critique of ‘Wokeism’ and the Modern Democratic Party
  • Sees a “turnaround” against BLM and progressive social movements.
  • Feels alienated by current Democrats: “I now believe you'd have to be ashamed to be a Democrat right now, given what they've become.” ([07:45])
  • Notes that many women, especially mothers, are leaving the Democratic Party due to “woke gender stuff.”
  • Quote:

    “The trans issue is a huge one...That’s when the uncomfortable feeling started...the children were just a total deal breaker. Like, now you have no moral choice but to speak up.” ([09:30] - Megyn Kelly)

4. The State and Future of TV & Podcasting

• Media Landscape Predictions
  • Cable news is “dying”; podcasting’s individualized, on-demand format is the future ([11:30]-[13:44]).
  • Describes a shift to trusting select voices for news instead of traditional appointment viewing.
  • Quote:

    “If you were betting real money, you’d be a fool to put it on either cable or broadcast news. That is not the future. This, what we're doing right now, is the future.” ([12:09] - Megyn Kelly)

• Influence and Industry Friends
  • Credits Ben Shapiro for inspiring her podcasting venture; helped “make” Shapiro and others by first featuring them on her Fox show ([13:44]-[15:05]).

5. Reflections on Her NBC Stint

• Experience at NBC
  • Calls the year at NBC “tumultuous and traumatic,” mismatched expectations, feeling set up to fail ([16:34]-[19:56]).
  • “When you’re dying death by a thousand cuts, the machete is a mercy.” ([16:34] - Megyn Kelly)
  • Felt targeted by internal leaks and negative press; only positive memories were of the studio audience and support from Kathie Lee Gifford ([20:02]).

6. Candid Opinions on Joy Reid, Don Lemon, and Left-Wing Podcasts

• Joy Reid:
  • Describes Reid as “an insane lunatic who's truly, honestly, extremely racist. She's never seen a white person who she likes...” ([21:00])
  • Predicts Reid’s independent career will fail because she’s “too toxic”. ([21:00]-[21:54])
• The State of Left-Wing Podcasting:
  • Most don’t succeed; left controls mainstream platforms, no need to branch out to independent media ([22:30]).
  • Exceptions: Pod Save America, the Midas Touch, Tim Miller.

7. Thoughts on Bari Weiss and Selling Out

• Bari Weiss’s Sale to CBS
  • Respects Weiss but would never sell her own platform: “No, I have enough money. I don't need money to go sell my soul, which is what it would feel like to me.” ([23:26])
  • Unconvinced legacy media can be reformed from the top down ([25:41]).

8. Coping with Charlie Kirk’s Assassination and Security Concerns

• Personal Impact
  • Details how Charlie Kirk’s assassination (at a university tour event) nearly derailed her own speaking tour, but ultimately strengthened her resolve ([26:41]-[30:19]).
  • Praises Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin for supporting her with security at a vulnerable moment ([27:49]).
  • Quote:

    “There is zero part of me that could not do it...It's just very clear to me. I'm doing it. So the only real question is, how do we make it safe?” ([28:10] - Megyn Kelly)

  • Observes a renewed audience determination to not be cowed by threats or violence.

9. Building Resilience and Family Influence

• Impact of Her Father’s Death as a Teen
  • Inspired her to make bold life choices—leave law, exit her first marriage, pursue journalism ([32:01]).
  • Advice:

    “You should always take risks, even if you're not a courageous person...Just keep going is the only thing you have to do when you fail.” ([33:10] - Megyn Kelly)

• Motherhood and Boys
  • Raising two boys made her more protective of men’s rights, less dogmatically feminist ([34:37]).
  • Critiques cultural neglect of boys and men: “All of society's ills being blamed on them...Meanwhile, they have none of the advantages.” ([36:11])

10. Meghan Markle and Harry: Relentless Critique

• Meghan Markle’s Behavior
  • Dismisses Markle as callous and self-serving, referencing her conduct at Paris Fashion Week and the Uvalde tragedy ([37:46]-[40:05]).
  • Predicts divorce for Meghan and Harry—“It's really just a question of when, not if.” ([40:55])
  • Quote:

    “Who would do that? Like, there's seriously something wrong with her. The callousness of that behavior—it speaks volumes.” ([37:46] - Megyn Kelly)

11. Megyn’s Secret to Success

• Work Ethic
  • Emphasizes relentless hard work and willingness to “do every menial task” ([41:18]).
  • Quote:

    “Just as hard as you think you're working, work harder, and don't say no to any menial task. Do them all. Don't whine or complain. Lose the word unfair. Just double down on how you can solve other people's problems instead of asking anyone to solve yours.” ([41:18] - Megyn Kelly)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Authenticity in Media:

  “It's the most authentic form of communication there is.” ([03:55] - Megyn Kelly)

• On the Changing Political Landscape:

  “I haven't moved my feet at all. The ground moves underneath me.” ([07:00] - Megyn Kelly)

• On Left-Wing Podcasting:

  “And that will conclude the list of left wing podcasters who really have a meaningful presence.” ([22:28] - Megyn Kelly)

• On Resilience:

  “Just keep going is the only thing you have to do when you fail.” ([33:10] - Megyn Kelly)

• On Meghan Markle:

  “Who trolls their spouse over their dead mother?...There is no chance this marriage is going to last.” ([37:58], [40:55] - Megyn Kelly)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |--------------|----------------------------------------------| | 00:34 | Launching the Megyn Kelly Show | | 04:21-05:33 | Why podcasting trumps legacy media | | 06:15-08:03 | Evolution from Democrat to Conservative | | 09:30 | The “trans issue” and Democratic Party loss | | 11:30-13:44 | Media’s future: Podcasting over Cable | | 13:44-15:05 | Ben Shapiro’s role in her podcast journey | | 16:34-19:56 | Year at NBC: Failure, betrayal, lessons | | 21:00 | Unfiltered critique of Joy Reid | | 22:30 | Why left-wing podcasters mostly fail | | 23:18-25:41 | Barry Weiss’s CBS sale - would Megyn sell? | | 26:41-30:19 | Responding to Charlie Kirk’s assassination | | 32:01-33:10 | Father’s death and resilience | | 34:37 | Raising boys and men’s rights | | 37:46-40:55 | Meghan Markle critique, Harry predictions | | 41:18 | Kelly’s formula for success |

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Tone and Style

Megyn Kelly is blunt, combative, and acerbic, offering frank takes on personal hardship, the media industry, and headline-grabbing figures. Miranda Devine steers the conversation with pointed questions, highlighting both Kelly’s resilience and willingness to confront controversy head-on.

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In Summary

This episode delivers a rollicking, gloves-off tour through Megyn Kelly’s career, worldview, and media philosophy. Listeners receive an insider’s blueprint for media disruption, hear Kelly’s unapologetic takedowns of rivals, and learn the values she attributes to her success: grit, willingness to fail, and relentless hustle. Her voice, both confessional and confrontational, illuminates the shifting battlefield of American journalism and politics.

Transcript

[Miranda Devine]

Welcome back to the Pod Force One podcast. I'm Miranda Devine, and joining me today is Megan Kelly. Megyn Kelly, thank you so much for joining Pod Force One.

[Megyn Kelly]

I'm honored to be here. Congrats on an amazing rollout of your new show, Miranda. I love it.

[Miranda Devine]

Well, thank you. And I have you to thank for the big take up in the first episode because I had so many people in the comments say, oh, you know, I heard you on Megyn Kelly, and so I came across to watch. So thank you. That was very genuine.

[Megyn Kelly]

They have very good taste. Yeah.

[Miranda Devine]

I'll just go through a quick cv. Of course, everyone knows who you are but Megyn Kelly, award winning journalist, former Fox News and NBC star, host of the Megyn Kelly show, now in its fifth year as a top 10 podcast powerhouse. And you launched from your children's playroom with just three staffers on a rickety old desk, and now you've exploded to 150 million monthly views. So, Megan, thanks very much and congratulations on five years. Does it feel that long?

[Megyn Kelly]

God, no. No, it doesn't. You know, five years feels like a blink, but when I actually think back to what was going on when I launched the show, then it starts to feel like it's been a while because it's been, you know, that that tiny little desk in the corner of my children's playroom was doing a lot of lifting because we were talking about George Floyd of Palooza and the COVID lockdowns. Like, yeah, the country was in the middle of, like, a massive crisis when we launched the show, which was one of the reasons why we launched the show when we did. And now we have different problems. And actually, you could make a pretty good case that, you know, the problems then led directly to the problems we're experiencing now. But, I mean, we've made so much progress in fighting Wokeism, for example, like, the BLM crowd has zero power these days. What a turnaround. The transgender madness. Yeah. Has been totally outed for the insanity that it is. It's not over, but it's been outed. You know, we no longer have to convince people that it's extremely controversial. So that's very much progress. And now, unfortunately, we've seen the country graduate to political assassinations, which, you know, it's like, it's almost like you long for the sweet days of 2020 when we were just locking people in their homes and making them raise the fist and say black lives matter.

[Miranda Devine]

Well, I guess it's the dying gasps of whatever their regime was is you know, they've descended into violence and craziness. And for you, when you first started doing this five years ago, going solo, it was a big leap of faith for you in yourself, I guess, after having been in corporate media for so long and been incredibly successful. And then here you are, just you and the camera. Were you frightened? Were you. Were you afraid you might fail?

[Megyn Kelly]

Not really, because I just come off of a big failure. So it's kind of like if I fail, I mean, if I fail, I'll just. It's like another failure. So, you know, and I do believe you learn more from the failures than you do from the successes. So I wasn't really thinking about it in terms of, like, it's going to fail in podcasting. It's really just a question of how many people will listen. And I remember talking to my therapist, who I very much needed back then on the heels of that NBC debacle. And he. He's got this accent. He's from South Africa, and he was like, well, I'll listen and Doug will listen. So you have two. So I knew I had those two. And then, you know, I just kept saying to the king, the team, keep rowing, just keep rowing, keep rowing. And you're probably experiencing this now and will, over the next five years of your show's infancy, you. You go like this. You go flatline for a long time, and then something happens and you spike up, and then you go flatline, and then something happens and you spike up. So, like, you amass followers in a very weird way. It's not like a cable news show where it's a slow and steady build and gentle incline up over the years, so I had to get used to that. And during those long flat lines, wondering, will anybody else come or have I maxed out? And anyway, it's just sort of a different organism to get used to. But I love it. It's the most authentic form of communication there is.

[Miranda Devine]

Why do you love it more than, say, Fox or NBC?

[Megyn Kelly]

Because no one has any control over me. None whatsoever. I can never get a call from the second floor, which was the Fox term for the bosses. That's where Roger and his emissaries sat. And they'd call, you know, you didn't say this, you shouldn't say that, or, that's not what we're doing, or would appreciate if you'd back off this. You know, you'd get those calls even at Fox now. Fox was the best of all of them because I worked at ABC for a stent and NBC. And there's no comparison when it comes to, like, freedom to say what you want.

[Miranda Devine]

Fox was way better, but people would never believe that.

[Megyn Kelly]

Oh, God. Yeah. I mean, Fox, they have their agenda. Let's not kid ourselves. Like, go take a look at their sponsors and that will tell you what their agenda is. But in general, they are committed to the principle of free speech and of heterodox thinking. And if you look at Fox News on any election night or big night, you will see Democrats and Republicans where. And. And you will see smart Democrats who really are able to argue their points, like a Joe Trippy, for example. Not just pushovers, you know, who are, like, secretly Republicans in. In disguise. Yeah, go look at cnn. Look at msnbc. Very different story. I mean, CNN now has Scott Jennings, who is wonderful.

[Miranda Devine]

He's.

[Megyn Kelly]

He's it. He's it. That's all they have. So Fox was much more committed to having open dialogue. But none of that, none of that compares to this medium where no one controls me. I don't have a single investor. I don't. It's just me. I own 100% of my own show and stock. I take advertisements. They don't control what I say, and if they tried to, I would fire them. So it's just a totally different animal. There are no sacred cows. I can say how I actually feel about any subject, and I do.

[Miranda Devine]

And has that changed you over time? I mean, you've become more outspoken, I think, and it seems that you've become more conservative. Is that right?

[Megyn Kelly]

Well, yes, I think so. I mean, I was never, other than when I was really young, like a liberal. I was never a. I guess I was never a liberal, but I used to be a Democrat. And then once I started working as a lawyer and seeing what was happening to my paycheck, and I took a job with this big firm, Jones Day, I definitely started leaning more rightward in my politics. And then when I got to Fox, you know, I was surrounded by very smart Republicans all the time. And it just sort of changed the way I thought about a lot of issues, gave me new ways into different problems and. But, yeah, over the last five years, I've definitely gone from, I guess what you'd call a moderate Republican to, like, a real conservative because they forced me like those cartoons all over X. I haven't moved my feet at all. The ground moves underneath me. I'm exactly where I used to be. I. I still believe that a man is a man and a woman is a woman, just like Mr. Rogers taught me. When I was in the 70s and watching TV, same beliefs as we used to have 50 years ago. I'm still pro gay rights, which that's fine. Most Republicans are. I'm not in favor of an open border, which was how the Democrats said sounded in the 1990s too. Anyway, the Democrat party has lost its mind and really shamed itself. It's. I now believe you'd like, you'd have to be ashamed to be a Democrat. Right. Right now, given what they've become. And I'm, I don't recognize that party at all. Even my mom, a lifelong Democrat, she was always pro life, but she was a Democrat. She was like a blue dog Democrat. Even my mom is a Trump voter now and she can't recognize the party she spent 80 years voting for. And now she's been, I think she's double Trump. She's not triple Trump, but she's, she's double Trump, which is saying something.

[Miranda Devine]

A lot of your listeners are or viewers are women and Democrat women, I guess, or previously Democrat women. I feel like you're, you're talking to that audience that's gone on a journey. Maybe they're a little behind you, but they feel the same way. You know, Maha, the woke gender stuff. A lot of mothers have recoiled from that imposition on their children. Is that where you think the Democrat Party has gone? Made the most mistakes, losing the women that used to be locked into them?

[Megyn Kelly]

I mean, they haven't lost women overall, unfortunately. You know, look at the last election. But they are, they are shedding them for sure. As Charlie Kirk would say, the women present an opportunity for Republicans.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Megyn Kelly]

And for maga, and I agree with that. But yeah, you're right. I have a lot of recovering Democrats who listen to my show. And one of the reasons I think they listen, at least what they say, is that they're looking for the way to talk about these issues like they want. You know, my show is very fact based. It's the lawyer in me. I like evidence. I like to know what's, what's real and then we can make arguments from those facts. But we should not be making up facts and we should not be selecting facts that are limited to the ones that are good for us. You know, we need the full panoply of facts and evidence and then we'll go from there. And I think it's helpful to them to hear those and then to hear us talk about why whatever I've come to, the conclusions I have about those facts, they can take it or leave It. But at least now they've had somebody frame the issues in a way that's hopefully helpful because they're still arguing with their side. You know, they're. They're still going back to their friends saying, fellow wine moms, listen. And. And the trans issue is a huge one. Huge. Because that's one people knew inherently was wrong. And I don't think we're to say anything. Yes, they were too afraid, or I think it started differently. I think it started with. It got to too afraid, but it started with, let's be nice, let's just be kind. Like, it's this tiny little group of weird people and we have no wish to bully Republican or Democrat. Like this odd group that is delusional about something and it's not really hurting us. Like, if a man wants to put on a dress and go around, like, who cares? And then it quickly morphed into something so much more dangerous than that. And that's when the uncomfortable feeling started. Yeah. And then the children were just a total deal breaker. Like, now you have no moral choice but to speak up.

[Miranda Devine]

And with the podcast, you are not alone. I mean, you're the og, but there are many other former TV stars who are now going into that space. And I mean, Joy Reid is one of them. Your former NBC or MSNBC anyways colleagues and, you know, Tucker Carlson, et cetera, and with varying degrees of success. But is that the future? What's happened to the corporate media, the cable channels? I mean, Fox is still a powerhouse, but CNN is hemorrhaging viewers. So are the networks. Do you see them withering? Do you feel more influential now than you were?

[Megyn Kelly]

Yeah, I do. See, I see them withering. And I think my lane has gotten very powerful. You know, I'm but a cog in that wheel, but my lane is the most powerful lane, and it is the future. I mean, I. They're all dying. They really are. Even Fox is on its last legs, thanks to Trump. Mark my words. When. When you don't have Trump in there to drive the ratings every day because he's a ratings machine. I have benefited from him at Fox for many years.

[Miranda Devine]

Just Biden was a rating machine, though, in a way, for Fox being anti Biden.

[Megyn Kelly]

I know, he was such a hot mess. Fox does tend to do better when it's in the opposition. Unless we're talking about Trump, there's no comparing your ratings.

[Miranda Devine]

Yes.

[Megyn Kelly]

Under anybody to. Under Trump. He's just so interesting and he's so entertaining. So I. Look, if you were betting real Money at the stock market, you would be a fool to put it on either cable or broadcast news. That is not the future. This, what we're doing right now is the future. And I do think that the future when it comes to news consumption is an individual relationship. People will decide who they can trust, who they like, and maybe they'll have two or three of those, and that will be their news diet. And podcasting is just so easy. It's. It's in your pocket. You can put it on whenever you want at your convenience. In a vertical integration, you can take a little or a lot. You can watch, for example, in our case, our hour and a half long show, which know when we live, we're. We're live for two hours on SiriusXM, but that's got ads and all that in it on pod, it's about an hour and a half. Can watch that for two minutes or the full time. You can watch the video snippets. You can watch on Instagram. A lot of people watch our show on Instagram and they just watch 10 clips of the show on Instagram and then they feel like they have a good feel for what the news is. That's how people want to get information. They don't want to have to do appointment viewing at xpm where I have to sit there and I have to sit through every single ad and I have to go at normal speed with podcasting. Like I'm crazy. I listen to Ben Shapiro on 2.0 and Crazy Fast. Anyway, totally. I have to buckle in for that. But it's a great way to get your news quickly. And while you're doing something else, you can multitask. So I 100% believe this is the future, and that's why it's growing so exponentially.

[Miranda Devine]

And Ben Shapiro was really your guide to starting podcasting, wasn't he? Did he planted the idea.

[Megyn Kelly]

Yes. So when Ben was a young whippersnapper, I had him on the Kelly File and my earlier show too, all the time. Like he and I got to each other pretty well. Yeah. On Fox, nobody knew him. I helped make Ben Shapiro.

[Miranda Devine]

Really?

[Megyn Kelly]

And Buck Sexton. And actually a lot of these guys, they were young, needed a place on tv and. And Pete Hegseth, by the way, very proud of that. Really. So. Yes, he'll tell you that too. But anyway, so Ben used to come on and. And then when I was sitting on the couch, a loser, which is what happened to me after NBC with nobody wanting to hear from me, nobody liking me. The right was like, pissed about the Trump stuff. And the left was pissed off about the, the NBC's stint at all. Never mind how it ended. I was just sitting there feeling sorry for myself. Miranda and Ben Shapiro called me and said, mk, put, get up. You got to get off that couch. You should come out here to California and take a look. They were still out there at what we're doing. And, and he wasn't trying to hire me. He was just trying to help me. So I went, I went and I looked at the Daily Wire operations and he got me so excited about the medium, I left. And I was like, this is what I want to do. And it took me a couple more months to actually launch the thing, but it really is because of him that I'm here.

[Miranda Devine]

What a good friend he is. Totally successful.

[Megyn Kelly]

Isabelle Brown. Isabel Brown.

[Mike Emanuel]

Isabel Brown.

[Megyn Kelly]

The wait is almost over. She's joining Daily Wire plus with the Isabel Brown Show. Cannot wait for you guys to see how hard we've been working. I could not be more excited for this new adventure. You can expect larger than life guests, deeper questions. To the nerds. Meeting the President of the United States and the Vice President. And now meeting our new American Pope. This is crazy. Let's jump in. Join me every weekday for the Isabel Brown show on Daily Wire plus or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mike Baker]

Hey, Mike Baker here, host of the President's Daily Brief podcast. If you want straight talk on national security, foreign policy and the biggest global stories going on of the day, this is the show for you. We publish twice a day, Monday through Friday, once in the morning, again in the afternoon, and on the weekend, we go longer with the PDB Situation Report with excellent guests including national security insiders and foreign policy experts. Check us out on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. Also on our YouTube channel, PresidentsDaily Brief.

[Miranda Devine]

I wanted to ask you about NBC. That was, I guess, a huge comedown after having been a star on Fox and, and then leaving in, you know, circumstances you wouldn't have chosen. And then there you are at NBC making tons of money, but it seemed like they almost set you up to fail. Is that the way it felt to you?

[Megyn Kelly]

Totally. Yes, it was. It was a horrid year of my life. You know, I've said this before, but there's no other better way of putting it. The whole year was tumultuous and traumatic. And so when it finally ended over the BS blackface thing, it was a mercy. Because when you're dying, death by a thousand cuts, the machete is A mercy. You know, it's like, please just do it. You know, like, let's end this horrific experiment. But it was traumatic. I mean, I'm not downplaying that.

[Miranda Devine]

And why was it?

[Megyn Kelly]

Because it was not a good fit. I mean, I was, I said this to the Fifth Column guys the other day. I think I was temporarily insane when I made that decision to go there. Miranda. You know, I had just been. I'd had such a rough last year and a half at Fox, some of which is documented in the movie Bombshell. If you've seen it, the stuff with Roger was tumultuous and really had many people at the organization turn on me. So a place where I'd kind of grown up and had lots of friends, suddenly I was a pariah. And on top of that, the Trump war, whatever that was, was very bad for my internal relations and just my place in the conservative ecosphere that I was working. And so I thought if I went to NBC, I would get out of politics altogether. That's what I thought. I thought I'd be going someplace kinder and gentler. Idiots and oh my God, so dopey. But anyway, I really thought, I'll get out of politics. I'll go do like a show about lifestyle. Not like, I didn't foresee the, like, wardrobe, you know, and cooking segments. But I did think we'd be talking to, like, cancer survivors and like, people who had near death experiences who saw the light on the other. Like, I thought we'd be doing substantive personal stories of change. That's. That was my original vision for the show. But the problem was that didn't rate. So then NBC kept in infusing all these lighter segments into the hour, which did rate but weren't me. So felt awkward for both me and the audience. And like, the gulf between me and the show just widened by the day. And on top of it, I was under attack every week either by. This is my very strong belief. And she can go ahead and sue me if it's not true. I'd love to go through discovery with her because of the PR nightmare who runs the Fox News comms shop, who is dropping hit pieces on me every other week, and because of the evil people at NBC who would love to have participated in the same. That's all I'm going to say. So, like, when your show's not doing well, it's, it can be the case. I'm not speaking about NBC necessarily, but let me just give you a media lesson. It can be the case that you Become the dumpster fire trash heap for everyone in the organization when let's say they have a scandal which they then convert into a non story by dangling your ass in front of the media reporter on something far juicier. Wouldn't you rather write about this? So for some combination of those reasons, the listeners and viewers can make it up themselves. Things didn't go well for me in the media when I was at NBC and it just wasn't a pleasant experience.

[Miranda Devine]

You must have had to drag yourself in knowing that it was going to be a humiliation.

[Megyn Kelly]

Yes, yes, it was horrible. The only thing I'll give you two good things about NBC, Kathie Lee Gifford, who was a doll and who the whole time was nice to me and saw what was going on and knew it was bs. And two, the in studio audience who I really loved and who like the same regulars would come some of the days, like most of the days, and I fell in love with them. And those folks were so mad at NBC when it ended and they saw what was going on and I had a genuine connection with the people who were in that studio audience and I still to this day miss them.

[Miranda Devine]

Yes. Yeah. And I know that Joy Reid, you've just recently she's been nasty about you and calling you the blonde Laura Loomer. So I guess, I mean, she's no longer at MSNBC and is trying her hand at a podcast. I don't think it's doing all that well. But what do you have to say to her?

[Megyn Kelly]

Joy Reid is an insane lunatic who's truly, honestly, extremely racist. She's never seen a white person who she likes. The only people who have a possibility of being liked by Joy Reid, if they're white, are people who will openly subjugate themselves to her, tell her how smart she is, tell her they believe her Harvard degree was real and pretend that you know they're somehow less than because she's the be all end all. Because that's what she wants us to believe. So if you don't go along with those lies, she doesn't like you. It's why she likes Nicole Wallace, people like that. And Joy Reid is going to fail in the independent lane because she's too toxic. Just why doesn't she ask her little buddy Tiffany Cross, the equally racist person who is at msnbc who failed as well when she tried to launch a podcast and go off independently? It's not going to go well. And that's what happened to Joy Reid. She was super racist and NBC had enough of her and said we cannot be attached to this person any longer.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah, Don Lamorne is not doing all that well either. Same thing. It seems like the left is not really thr in your lane. In this independent podcast lane, there's a.

[Megyn Kelly]

Couple of outliers like the guys from Pod Save America who got in on it early. They're doing well. There's a guy named Tim Miller who I constantly am arguing with online, but I secretly kind of have a begrudging respect for. I used to like him a lot. He's not bad. He's out there. There's that group the Midas Touch. They do okay. And that will conclude the list of left wing podcasters who really have a meaningful presence.

[Miranda Devine]

And why?

[Megyn Kelly]

Because the left controls every single other outlet. Yes, they don't have to come over here. You know, conservatives have Fox, they have Newsmax, you know, but that's never really taken off, with all due respect to my pals over there. And they have digital, but the left has everything, everything else.

[Miranda Devine]

Bari Weiss now, you know, five years after she was squeezed out in the same sort of death by a thousand cuts that you suffered at NBC she suffered at the New York Times. And what sweet vindication it is that now her Free Press has been bought by CBS for a rumored $150 million. Is that something you could see yourself doing? Do you think what she's done is the right thing to do?

[Megyn Kelly]

I could not see myself doing that. And if asked, I would say no.

[Miranda Devine]

No, I have no price, no price at all.

[Megyn Kelly]

No, I have enough money. I don't need money to go sell my soul, which is what it would feel like to me. No, I don't need to go back into broadcast television. I've done that. Barry's never done broadcast television. I don't begrudge her one cent of that money. She's earned every penny of. And I hope she enjoys it. And she's a dear friend and I love Barry, but I do not have any faith in CBS News or any broadcast news outlet, nevermind cable. I think they're going to try to eat her alive. I think Barry's very strong, but it's very hard to take on a huge operation like that where they all hate you. Trust me. And I just think it's going to be a toxic place for her. And because she's my friend, I don't want her immersed in toxicity. So I hope she does her part and what she needs to do to earn that money. But I foresee this not being longer than a five year Experiment because she's a well person and well, people don't tend to make the decision to stay in toxic environments for very long. And I just, it's very hard to turn an organization like that around from the top. You know, they tried to do it at cnn, remember when they came under more conservative ownership. Look how that worked out, right? Like they, that guy Chris Licht wound up getting fired. He tried to have a Trump town hall. All the staff turned on them. It's like that beast runs from the ground up, not from the top down. So I worry about what's going to happen to Barry there. Though I will say she is tough as nails. So, like, if anybody could do might be Barry so on over here. I'm just trying to root for her. CB look, the truth is, cbs, it's truly like, would you like to take the wheel of this big ship? Never mind those icebergs. You get behind the wheel, I swear it's going to be fine. That's how it feels to me. But look, they offered her a ton of dough. She worked hard for it. And it's a new opportunity. And most people who are exciting and dynamic enjoy new opportunities and new challenges. So to Barry, that probably sounds very exciting. I'm just in a different place, you know, I've been there. So, yes, it's not exciting to me. It's. I'd rather have bamboo shoots put under my fingernails. So we're different like that.

[Miranda Devine]

It's interesting because I think that trying to make those, those organizations more moderate is destined to fail, as you said with cnn, because their audiences are Trump deranged, loony left, and they will not abide any opposing voices. They just refuse to listen to any alternative argument. And I think, you know, we saw that with Charlie. Kirk and I wanted to talk to you about your friendship with Charlie, but also your decision to. You had this tour already planned, the MK tour in 10 cities around the country. And then Charlie was assassinated. And I know you've said that you really went through some soul searching and I suppose your family must have been very worried for you. And just talk us through the impact all of that had on you and your decision to continue with your tour.

[Megyn Kelly]

Well, it was, it was a heavy realization when it dawned on me that I was booked the next week or two weeks later to be on campus with Charlie as part of his college tour at Virginia Tech. And he was booked a couple of weeks after that to come with me on my tour. And it was like, I remember saying to the team, we have to Pull the promos like he's in them. Pull the promos because Charlie's dead. It's just. You can't believe it. I still can't believe it. And then came the question of safety. Like, is it safe for me to go on Charlie's campus tour, which is the venue in which he was killed? Can it be made safe? And should we continue with our tour, which had been announced two days before Charlie's assassination? You know, it just hit the presses and we were just starting ticket sales. And look, we did talk about it. Seriously. Obviously my husband had some strong thoughts on it, but in the end, Miranda, it was like, there is zero part of me that could not do it. Like, there is just no part of me that could ever have said no. I just. That thing is not in me. It was just very clear to me. I'm doing it. So the only real question is, how do we make it safe? And not just safe for me, but safe for everybody. I want the Virginia Tech kids to be safe when we go there. I want the people who come to see me and my guests to be absolutely safe and not even have it be a thought. And really what that required was money to hire the best security and make sure everything is pristine on our security procedures, which we. We've done. And I'm completely satisfied that we will be very, very safe on my tour. And then on Charlie's tour at Virginia Tech, it was a different thing because that was my first time getting up in front of an audience and Charlie had just been killed. And this was like I was supposed to be there with him and like that. I'm not gonna lie, the first couple of minutes that I was standing there, it was. It was an odd feeling. You know, I felt exposed in a way I don't normally feel exposed in public speaking events. But it was just a couple of seconds. And God bless Glenn Youngkin, the great, great outgoing governor of Virginia, because he was there too. It was. He started and he was great. He had. He's got an in depth knowledge of the Christian faith that I wish I had, that Charlie had. And he kind of set a great tone in the room. And then this is what a sweetheart he is. I haven't told anybody the story, but he came with a bunch of security because he's the governor. And he had the guys, like the kicking guys and like the. I don't know if you can swear on this podcast, forgive me, but, like, with like the. The camo and the helmets and like the big serious ammo across their bodies. And Glenn, Governor Youngkin left before I left because, you know, I was there much longer than he was with the Q A. And he left all those guys behind saying, you stay here and you take care of Megan, which he totally didn't have to do. But what a class act. Anyway, my point is simply it can be made safe. And while it wasn't without risk, I'm very glad I did it. And there is like, so far what we're seeing in the ticket sales for my event, you can get your [e-mail] is that people are rushing to buy the tickets. Like, we've already sold out at multiple venues. So I feel like if anything, it's had an effect on the audience of like, wanting to give the middle finger. Like they want to be part of the hell no. An assassin's bullet is not going to silence any of us from saying or standing up for all these same principles that drove Charlie, that drive me, that drive you, that motivate all of us to say the things.

[Mike Emanuel]

From around the world. Trey Yingst joining us from Tel Aviv, Israel to Washington, I'm Mike Emanuel. To your own backyard. If a story impacts you or your wallet, we're on it. It's the FOX News rundown. We give every story the deeper look it deserves with must listen interviews and smart analysis from the voices you can trust. Start your day with a FOX News rundown. Listen and follow now@fox newsrundown.com or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

[Bill O'Reilly]

Hey, Bill O'Reilly here, host of the no Spin News corporate media programs. They're often lazy and dishonest. You know that the podcast world filled with misleading bomb throwers masking important issues that directly impact you. The no spin News is here to counteract that. We are a fact based, honest and unaffiliated broadcast. Our purpose is to inform you and give the best assessment of the situation, whether it's political or cultural. Please listen to the no spin News with me, Bill O'Reilly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found. Remember, trust is earned.

[Miranda Devine]

Courage is contagious and you've shown courage. Where does that come from? Megan, we haven't got a lot of time and I would have liked to have given you more time. But I know that in your childhood you suffered a tragedy when you were 15, when your father died suddenly, your beloved father. How did that impact you and did that give you sort of resilience?

[Megyn Kelly]

That's an interesting question. I don't think it, it gave me resilience Exactly. Maybe it helped, but the thing that. That gave me more than any other thing after grief, you know, was it made me make better decisions in my life. You know, we all know no tomorrow is promised as a saying, but you know, it at a gut level when you have loss, like, profound loss at a young age. And so it's the reason I got out of my first marriage early and before we'd had children. It's the reason I left the law when I was about to make partner at a big white shoe firm, because I wasn't happy. It's like, it just. It's driven me to do so many things that I otherwise wouldn't have done. It's the reason I took a job in journalism where I. You know, the first job, I. I made $17,000 a year, even though I'd been making money as a lawyer. Like, all these things because you just realize you have to make good choices, and you really, you. It could all end tomorrow. You know, look at poor Charlie. I mean, he died doing exactly what he wanted to be doing. You know, he. He had so many years that he was owed, in my view, ahead of him, but he didn't waste one that he had been here. No. So few of us can say that. So I would say that about my dad. And then, you know, resilience that just comes from continuous risk taking. You should always take risks, even if you're not a courageous person, because the more risks you take, they either pan out and then you feel like, oh, that wasn't so bad, or they don't pan out, and then you literally only have to do one thing. Keep going. It's not even that hard. Just keep going. That's it. You don't have to keep going with courage, Keep going with a sense of humor. Keep going happily. Just keep going is the only thing you have to do when you fail. And then time passes and you realize that wasn't so bad either. Actually, I've learned a lot about myself. I'm still standing. I now feel I have some impunity against these attacks. Like, I'm less vulnerable to these cretins who try to hurt me. I have a better, like, perspective on my life and my place in it, my world. So that's it. Just risk taking and then the resolve to do that one thing. Keep going.

[Miranda Devine]

And your children, you have three children, still quite young, two boys and a girl. And did having boys. I know because I had this epiphany when I had boys. Did that make you sort of become less feminist? In a way and more understanding of how men, and especially boys, were being crushed by the dominant culture.

[Megyn Kelly]

Definitely. And I think I've said this before, but I think that it's the way that, like, in the same way, interracial marriages that produce mixed race children can be a real solution to some of the race nonsense that we have in our country right now. You know, like somebody like Sage Steele, who's got a white mom and a black dad, she's. She's so sensible about race. And you get Sage going about race and you're like, yeah, yes, yes, yes. Everything she's saying, because she's got that unique perspective, right? She really, she, she loves her mother, she loves her father. She sees what both experiences have been and she stands up for both equally. She doesn't buy into the nonsense. Same thing for mothers of sons and daughters, you know, because you, you've. Or even just a mother of a son, because the mother's had the experience as a woman, but now has the sharp experience of needing to protect a boy. So I really think it's a gift because it does send you to this place of whoa, whoa, Whoa, on the MeToo stuff like, let's hold on, like, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's remember due process is important here and men's rights and, you know, that was half of the speech I gave for President Trump the night, the night before the election was about our forgotten boys and what the left had done to them and, you know, just. And our forgotten men, you know, what's being done to men. So that's been sort of a main focus of my coverage, I would say, for the past 20 years. But what we're doing to boys and men in the name of progress, which is, of course, anything but.

[Miranda Devine]

And that's so personal because you're of your own sons.

[Megyn Kelly]

Yeah, I mean, my sons and frankly, my husband. And to be perfectly honest with you, just my life as a lawyer where I'm trained to look at both sides. And if you look at both sides, you can see that there's been a lot of injustice done to American men. No one gives a damn how high their suicide rate is. No one gives a damn when they get thrown off college campuses with zero due process and almost no chance for appeal. And even when they do win their appeals, they're not allowed back on campus. All of society's ills being blamed on them. Meanwhile, they have none of the advantages. They don't get the affirmative action. They don't belong in dei. They don't even get the quiet nod of like, okay, we'll take this one over that one anymore. They just get nothing. They get all the blame, none of the advantages. And God forbid they happen to be white, too. Forget about it. And then they're told to buck up. Then you have the joy reads of the world saying, oh, white tears. Oh, white tears. Spare me, like, absolutely no empathy whatsoever for their humanity. Which is why, you know, you kind of want to smack her in her fat face, but you can't do that. So instead you just have to laugh at her because she actually has proven herself a fool.

[Miranda Devine]

I have to ask you, one of my favorite topics that you and Maureen Callahan are always hilarious about, which is Meghan Markle. And you two are so mean about her that I almost felt sorry for her at one point until she did this appalling thing going to Paris. Paris Fashion Week. Did you see that? She got into a limo, drove past where Princess Diana died, filming herself and her feet. What is that?

[Megyn Kelly]

Who would do that? Like, there's seriously something wrong with her. The. The callousness of that behavior. I mean, it speaks volumes about who she is, but I'm not surprised.

[Miranda Devine]

And her relationship with Harry.

[Megyn Kelly]

Oh, yeah, like, who trolls their spouse over their dead mother? I mean, yes, talk about places you should not go. But it doesn't surprise me. I mean, just this season in her stupid Netflix show, which is. It's not really a new season. It's just the carryover from the first season, which was a loser, and this is a loser. And she tried to paint it as a second, as a renewal, so she sounded better. Who was one of her star guests? Chrissy Teigen. What is Chrissy Teigen known for? Being a nasty bully. She almost bullied a 15 year old into committing suicide. She's got a long list of young girls on the Internet who Chrissy Teigen has terribly bullied. And this is who Megan Markle's like, hey, come meet my friend. This is my dear friend. What is Megan Mar for being a terrible bully? Making her staffers cry. All these biographers have written about it. She dying.

[Miranda Devine]

Yeah.

[Megyn Kelly]

There is no question that she and Harry bullied that queen in the last two years of her life and accelerated her death, in my view. Why would she go on with Oprah and try to say she's. The royal family are a bunch of racists. While Prince Philip was dying in the hospital and. And Queen Elizabeth was not too far behind him. She didn't care. Look what she did to her own dad. Disowning him. After all the heart attacks. Her stepsister, who she. She has absolutely no kindness for, no empathy whatsoever. The dad disowning him because he didn't know how to handle the paparazzi when he was like a regular civilian who got thrust into royal life. She has ostracized or bullied everybody in her orbit from the beginning of time, as far as we can tell, while always elevating herself into, even before this princess status. So I have absolutely no quarter for her, and I wasn't surprised to see how callous she was. It's who she is. It's just some portion of the population refuses to believe it, but you should believe it. Watch me. And more Maureen Callahan. We know the truth.

[Miranda Devine]

You do. And it is so much fun. I don't know why, but it's a sort of a wicked pleasure to be able to listen to the two of you dis on Meghan Markle because she deserves.

[Megyn Kelly]

Every.

[Miranda Devine]

Every time I feel sorry for her, she does something else about appalling. So, bravo.

[Megyn Kelly]

I mean, Miranda, she went to Uvalde after the school massacre and made it into a photo op of her. There were other celebrities who went there because they were concerned and stayed away from the cameras, would not have been caught near the cameras. And other celebs that I know who donated huge checks to help out the families in Uvalde, you never saw them on camera. You never heard a word about it, because they weren't looking to turn it into a photo opportunity or PR opportunity for themselves. That was all you ever needed to see to know who Meghan Markle was. She continues, though, to give us this evidence time and time again.

[Miranda Devine]

So it's all, you know, without Harry now. So he. Maybe he's seen the light.

[Megyn Kelly]

It's got to be toward the end. I mean, they had to stay together for a little while after Megxit so they could make it look like it wasn't a big mistake. And they really did have this love affair and, you know, get their Netflix deal. There is no chance this marriage is going to last. It's really just a question of when, not if.

[Miranda Devine]

Well, thank you, Megan, for your time. One last quick question. The secret of success.

[Megyn Kelly]

Hard work. That's it. Work, work, work. Everybody hustle everybody out. Hustle everybody just as hard as you think you're working. Work harder and don't say no to any menial task. Do them all. Don't leave work before your boss. Work on the holidays, work on the weekends. Volunteer to do overnights if that's what needs to be done. You be the one who is constantly volunteering to help in whatever way possible. And don't whine or complain. Nothing happens to you. Lose the word unfair. Just double down on how you can solve other people's problems instead of asking anyone to solve yours.

[Miranda Devine]

Brilliant. Great advice Megan. Thanks very much.

[Megyn Kelly]

Thanks Miranda. Good luck with everything.

[Miranda Devine]

Thank you. Thanks for watching Pod Force One. Make sure you hit the like and subscribe buttons so you don't miss any future episodes.