The Megyn Kelly Show: Graham Linehan on His Arrest and Media Ignoring Brutal Charlotte Murder (Ep. 1143)

Airdate: September 8, 2025
Host: Megyn Kelly
Guests: Graham Linehan, Rich Lowry, Charles C.W. Cooke

Main Theme and Purpose

This episode features an in-depth, candid conversation with Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan following his headline-making arrest at Heathrow Airport for social media posts about transgender issues. The show explores the personal costs of Linehan’s advocacy, the chilling implications for free speech in the UK, and the media’s double standard in covering crime—with a pivot to the media silence surrounding the brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee Irina Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rich Lowry and Charles C.W. Cooke from National Review join to dissect these stories and their broader cultural impact.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Graham Linehan: The Price of Speaking Out (09:02–51:19)

Linehan’s Advocacy and Fallout

• Early Outspokenness:
  • Graham shares that he became instantly “cancelled” after sharing a compassionate article about the trans debate ([09:26]).
  • “I was cancelled instantly. … The shock troops of the Internet piling in, doing edited screenshots of my tweets, sometimes making up things entirely.” — Graham Linehan ([09:26])
• Personal and Professional Costs:
  • Lost career opportunities, including a Father Ted musical ([25:22]).
  • Abandoned by friends and colleagues, even when imploring them privately for support.
  • Suffered harassment, doxxing (“They released my home address online…which terrified my wife.” – [14:30]) and police visits, leading to separation and constant legal stress.

The UK’s Speech Climate

• Comparison to America:
  • Megyn notes the UK lacks robust free speech protections and has become “closer to Canada” in its willingness to accept “woke” culture ([12:38]).
• Stress and Harassment:
  • Continuous police interventions and lawsuits by activists (“I'm never not on edge…because I never know if I'm going to be arrested or attacked in the street.” – [14:30])
  • Physical and mental toll, including health issues exacerbated by stress ([38:34]).

Motivations for Advocacy

• Defending Women’s and Children’s Rights:
  • “Women need single-sex spaces… Men shouldn’t be in women’s prisons… Children shouldn’t be mutilated and sterilized in gender clinics.” – Graham Linehan ([09:26])
  • Speaks of standing up for his daughter and the broader risk to girls’ privacy and safety ([16:46]–[18:21])
• Highlighting Medical Risks:
  • Points to the irreversible and harsh medical consequences faced by girls from transitioning treatments ([19:48]).

Linehan’s Arrest at Heathrow

• Details of the Arrest:
  • Arrested by five armed officers moments after disembarking from his flight, in relation to three tweets perceived as hateful ([32:16]).
    • Tweets included: sarcastic commentary on a trans rights rally photo, calling trans activists “misogynists and homophobes,” and suggesting resistance (“if all else fails, punch him in the balls” in response to men in women-only spaces).
• Inside the Cell:
  • Detained for 12 hours; describes the experience as “the process is the punishment” ([32:16]).
• Reaction:
  • “I said, you're not going to put cuffs on me for defending women's rights.” ([36:16])
  • Expresses that police were “just following orders” and sees the arrest as a deliberate intimidation tactic ([36:43], [36:39]).

Impact and Resistance

• Public Support and Backlash:
  • Reports wave of support from the public (cabbies, secret smiles) but also mass exodus of followers on X.
• Defiant Outlook:
  • Undeterred, plans to sue police for wrongful arrest and insists on continuing his advocacy: “I stand by everything I've said, I stand by everything I've done.” ([47:19])
  • “They picked on the wrong mofo.” — Megyn Kelly ([41:42])
• On Media Silence:
  • The BBC and other institutions “have been completely captured,” failing to report on the mobbing and legal targeting of gender critical voices ([27:04]).

Systemic Overreach

• Chilling Effects:
  • Highlights the disproportionate law enforcement resources targeting speech, while actual threats (e.g., daily death threats to J.K. Rowling) go ignored ([43:19]).
• Reflections on the Movement:
  • “The trans movement is the greatest insult that women have ever faced.” — Graham Linehan ([18:21])
  • Believes the movement is nearing its end, but expects the “final throes” to be most vicious ([50:14]).

2. Media Ignore the Charlotte Train Murder (57:57–92:50)

Summary of the Crime

• The Incident:
  • Ukrainian refugee Irina Zarutska, 23, was stabbed to death on a Charlotte light rail train while on her way home from work ([59:35]).
  • The attack was captured on video but withheld by national media. Local media and Megyn Kelly aired key details.
• Suspect:
  • DeCarlos Brown Jr., 34, Black male with a lengthy criminal and mental health history, was promptly arrested.
  • Had prior arrests, was awaiting mental health evaluation, and failed by both criminal justice and mental health systems.

Media Response

• Strategic Silence:
  • No national coverage from major outlets (AP, PBS, NPR, CNN, NYT, WaPo, etc.); focus instead on local crime and blame-shifting ([82:54]).
• Narrative Inconvenience:
  • Megyn and guests argue race and the narrative of mental illness/homelessness as root causes factor into the media blackout—had the races been reversed, it would have dominated coverage ([84:06]).
• Progressive Deflection:
  • Axios blamed conservatives for highlighting surveillance videos; Nicole Hannah-Jones cautioned journalists not to become “tools of propaganda” ([78:37], [80:54], [85:01]).

Political and Societal Implications

• Failure of Institutions:
  • Discussion includes failures of the criminal justice system; leniency and recidivism enable violent tragedies ([68:02]).
  • Judges’ repeated willingness to release mentally ill repeat offenders, even after clear warning signs ([89:29]).
• Progressive “Root Causes” Excuses:
  • Charlotte’s Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles issues a statement blaming “root causes” and refuses to “villainize” the attacker ([71:40]).
    • “This is not left or right…there is everyone else and then the weirdos.” — Charles C.W. Cooke ([73:37])
• Public Safety & Self-Defense:
  • Emphasis on the need for public vigilance—"Don’t wear headphones, don't walk looking at your phone” ([89:29], [92:50]).

3. Broader Reflections on Free Speech (57:57–59:40)

• Comparing US and UK:
  • “Thank God for the First Amendment.” — Megyn Kelly ([57:57])
  • Rich Lowry and Charles Cooke explain that only the US’ constitutional protections prevent similar speech-related arrests; Britain has “bad free speech laws and no First Amendment.” ([55:18], [58:26])
• Dystopian Present:
  • Arresting someone for tweets as they step off a plane is compared to “something out of the Soviet Union.” — Charles C.W. Cooke ([55:18])

4. Listener Q&A and Baseball Sidebar (99:52–105:58)

• Humorous segment on viral sports etiquette: a debate over who “owns” a home-run ball at a baseball game, with Rich Lowry and Charles Cooke weighing in.
• Concludes with light-hearted banter and promotion for the upcoming Megyn Kelly Live tour.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I thought the message was so important…women need single sex spaces…I thought that was very obvious.” — Graham Linehan [09:26]
• “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” — Megyn Kelly, channeling former liberal anti-war bumper sticker, repurposed for gender issues [23:27]
• “The Scottish… men in women’s prisons—it’s an absolutely disgraceful, ongoing situation…the test of whether they're real trans or not is whether you get raped.” — Graham Linehan [21:28]
• “They picked on the wrong mofo.” — Megyn Kelly, to Graham, after his arrest [41:42]
• “This movement is based on nothing. It’s a social…mass delusion.” — Graham Linehan [46:07]
• “Thank God for the First Amendment.” — Megyn Kelly [57:57]
• “If conservatives had responded to [the Charlotte murder] by saying now it’s time to ban knives, then Nicole Hannah-Jones would have a point. But they didn’t. No one said that.” — Charles C.W. Cooke [85:01]
• “Judges’ repeated willingness to release mentally ill repeat offenders, even after clear warning signs…is just Chef’s kiss.” — Megyn Kelly [89:29]
• “This is not left, right…There is everyone else and then the weirdos.” — Charles C.W. Cooke, on the political divide in common-sense responses to crime [73:37]

Important Timestamps

• Interview with Graham Linehan begins: [09:02]
• Discussion of personal consequences and societal cowardice: [09:26–28:16]
• Description of Heathrow arrest and UK free speech climate: [32:16–41:25]
• Megyn recounts media treatment of J.K. Rowling death threats: [43:19]
• Charlotte train murder story and analysis: [59:40–89:29]
• Media response and political excuses dissected: [82:54–89:29]

Tone and Style

Open, unsparing criticism of institutional cowardice, political and media double standards, and the dangers of censorious activism; candid, personal, and at times combative language; moments of grave concern balanced by humor and camaraderie among the guests.

Conclusion

This episode is an unfiltered examination of Western free speech under siege, the personal fallout for public dissenters like Graham Linehan, and the media’s consistent reluctance to confront violent crime and mental illness when the facts don’t suit progressive narratives. The conversation blends empathy, outrage, and humor—and issues a challenge for listeners to remain aware, outspoken, and vigilant in the face of cultural gaslighting.

For more: Visit megynkelly.com.
Support Graham Linehan: Book — Tough: How I Made and Lost a Career in Comedy.
Follow guests on X: @Glinner, @RichLowry, @charlescwcooke