The Megyn Kelly Show | Ep. 1160

Hegseth vs. "Fat" Generals, and Coates' Lies About Charlie Kirk
Guests: Stu Burguiere, Britt Mayer, Will Witt
Original Air Date: September 30, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Megyn Kelly hosts a lively, no-holds-barred conversation on a range of current hot-button issues, including:

• Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's "no more fat generals" fitness mandate and purge of "woke" priorities in the military.
• Reactions to rising standards, with pointed criticism of “The View” and mainstream media.
• Kamala Harris’s recent media claims and her positioning for another presidential run.
• The rift between J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson over transgender activism, and Rowling’s powerful public rebuttal.
• The controversy surrounding Bad Bunny’s selection as Super Bowl halftime performer.
• Leftist propaganda in children's programming and mainstream TV.
• Ta-Nehisi Coates’ attack on Charlie Kirk’s legacy and broader issues of political violence, media narrative, and left-wing hypocrisy.

Tone: Fiercely opinionated, combative, and candid – in the Megyn Kelly Show's signature style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth & Military Standards

[03:01–16:04]

• Hegseth’s New Military Fitness Mandate

  • Hegseth reinstates stringent, male-level physical standards for all combat roles, lambasts overweight troops and generals.

    • Quote:

      "Frankly, it's tiring to look out at combat formations... and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals."
      — Pete Hegseth, [04:38]

  • Emphasis: Military should represent the most elite, disciplined fighting force, not just rely on superior technology.

  • Megyn and Stu agree: high standards and discipline are essential and non-negotiable, particularly for combat roles.

    • Megyn:

      "Physical fitness matters in the military. It always has... if you're fat, you can do my job, but you can't do that job."
      [05:20]

    • Stu:

      "We should have a military that provides an image of the most elite fighting force in the world. It shouldn’t all be the fact that we have the most money and the most technology. We should have the best people set to the highest standards."
      [06:16]

  • Analogy: If you can’t meet the demands, work at KeyBank, not in the military or news.

• Rejection of "Woke" and DEI Initiatives

  • Hegseth explicitly declares a purge of social justice priorities:

      > "No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses... No more climate change worship... We are done with that shit."  
      — Pete Hegseth, [11:11]
    

  • Massive applause among current and former military, per Stu.

  • Contrast drawn with the previous administration’s policies and lack of inspirational leadership (reference to Lloyd Austin).

• Trump’s Endorsement of Fitness & Character

    > "The American military is not to protect anyone’s feelings. It’s to protect our republic..."  
    — Donald Trump, [14:35]
  

  • Both Trump & RFK Jr. (as HHS secretary) lauded for leading by example, emphasizing “peace through strength.”

2. Media & The View’s Response

[07:24–09:02]

• Megyn lampoons media figures for missing the point of military fitness standards, especially the hosts of "The View.”
  • Repeats the standard: other professions are available for those unwilling to meet the demands.

3. Praise for Obama’s Agility

[17:34–18:49]

• Trump humorously praises Obama for being spry on stairs, while bashing his presidency:

    > "I had zero respect for him as a president, but he would bop down those stairs. I’ve never seen it..."  
    — Donald Trump, [17:47]
  

  • Megyn and Stu note Trump’s comic timing and the absurdity of critics branding him as a fascist.

4. AI Video Controversy & Political Shutdown

[19:57–28:02]

• Trump posts an AI video ridiculing Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer; media brands it “racist.”

  • Megyn and Stu mock the manufactured outrage and “Karen” mentality of Democrats.

  • "That's so devastating to them. They can't show you a sombrero photoshopped onto a congressman. It's so ridiculous."
    — Stu Burguiere, [22:24]

  • Megyn doubles down, explaining why the video’s visual shorthand is effective, not racist.

• Shutdown Politics

  • Standard media playbook always blames Republicans.
  • Democrats’ repeated propping up of Obamacare subsidies is dissected; Megyn highlights the real impact of increased healthcare costs ([28:02]).

5. Kamala Harris: False Claims & 2028 Positioning

[29:50–44:48]

• Megyn meticulously debunks Kamala Harris’s repeated claim that her 2024 loss was the "closest election of the 21st century," thoroughly breaking down electoral college and popular vote stats ([29:50–34:23]).

  • "In the 2000 election, when George W. Bush beat Al Gore, he only beat him by five electoral votes... hers was not the closest election in the 21st century. Why does she keep saying that?"
    — Megyn Kelly, [31:45]

• Harris’s new book and media appearances dissected – multiple lies highlighted:

  • False claim of creating the "no taxes on tips" idea.
  • Exaggerated stats on transgender murders (using a global, incorrect number).

• “Veep Thoughts” lampoon: The panel ridicules Harris’s motivational platitudes and awkward public persona ([35:34–37:34]).

    > "She is the least inspirational figure ever, like, literally, in US History."  
    — Megyn Kelly, [36:39]
  

• Discussion on Harris’s odds of a political comeback, her “backroom” skills, and failures as a candidate. Anecdote of Gavin Newsom dodging her calls after Biden dropped out ([43:01–44:42]).

6. J.K. Rowling vs. Emma Watson

[44:48–63:19]

• Background: Emma Watson (Hermione) and other Harry Potter stars publicly distanced themselves from and criticized J.K. Rowling over transgender issues, despite Rowling’s foundational role in their careers.

• Emma Watson’s recent comments (Jay Shetty Podcast) seen as an attempt to walk back prior condemnation. Megyn reads Rowling’s scathing X post:

  • Rowling outlines Watson’s privileged ignorance, lack of understanding of the real-world implications of gender ideology, and hypocrisy.

      > "When you've known people since they were 10 years old, it's hard to shake a certain protectiveness... Emma has so little experience of real life she's ignorant of how ignorant she is."  
      — J.K. Rowling, as read by Megyn [53:22+]
    

  • Rowling’s poverty, struggle, and direct experience with vulnerable women highlighted as contrast to Watson’s rarefied existence.

• Stu’s analysis:

  • Cultural shift is happening as public opinion moves toward Rowling’s side.
  • The left’s prior sense of "obligation" to denounce friends (e.g., posting black squares, public statements) called out as performative and insincere.

  • "None of them believe you can magically change your gender with a series of words. And the fact that we went through a period that has got to be looked upon in the past as one of the strangest periods in American history..."
    — Stu Burguiere, [61:08]

7. Transgender Policy, School Board Protests & Parental Rights

[63:19–72:02]

• Beth Born Protest:

  • Yolo County (CA) Moms for Liberty leader undresses to a bathing suit at school board meeting, demonstrating discomfort with policies allowing biological males into girls’ locker rooms.

  • "If the adults don't feel comfortable watching someone, and I'm a 50 year–old woman, change into an outfit, how can they expect the girls to feel comfortable doing that?"
    — Beth Born, [66:23]

  • Megyn and Stu point out the rank hypocrisy and ideological rigidity of school boards, emphasizing the ongoing risk to girls’ safety and dignity.

    • "You have young prepubescent girls... and you have teenage boys coming in and taking it all off... If we want to talk about what's actually happening, it's girls at the height of the years in which you get embarrassed easily..."
      — Megyn Kelly, [68:53]

8. Charlie Kirk's Legacy & Ta-Nehisi Coates' Commentary

[72:02–83:46]

• Media Campaign to Rebrand Charlie Kirk

  • Reaction to Ta-Nehisi Coates' attempt to shame Ezra Klein for “grieving” for Kirk.

      > "Was silence not an option?"  
      — Ta-Nehisi Coates, [74:17]
    

    -
    > "Ta Nehisi Coates is disgusting... They don't care that we're getting killed. You heard it right there. Why would you say anything, anything kind about this hateful man?"
    — Megyn Kelly, [74:39]

  • Coates goes on to label Kirk a "hate monger," inciting further indignation from Megyn and Stu ([78:22–79:10]).

  • Mark Halperin’s blunt response:

      > "Just manifestly not [a hater]. And there's so much evidence... So many friends who loved him. And this guy's on the national town square talking bullshit..."  
      — Mark Halperin, [79:47]
    

  • Stu and Megyn agree: left-wing public figures actively dissuade even minimal gestures of empathy or outreach, fostering political violence and division.

9. Bad Bunny & Super Bowl Halftime Controversy

[88:13–93:17]

• Bad Bunny chosen to play Super Bowl halftime, despite prior anti-American statements and open hostility to U.S. immigration enforcement.

    > "They're just trying to shove woke ideology down America's throat in the platform of the Super Bowl."  
    — Britt Mayer, [90:33]
  

  • Panel discusses Jay-Z’s central role in selection (via Roc Nation), equates the choice to another “middle finger” to traditional America.
  • Bad Bunny performs in drag; called "woke puke" and inappropriate for family audiences.
  • Complaint: Super Bowl increasingly pushes sexualized, non-family-friendly content ([94:42]).

10. Leftist Propaganda in Entertainment

[93:17–100:52]

• Netflix’s "Dead End Paranormal Park" lauded a trans character’s journey. Panel denounces as leftist conditioning of children.

    > "To say that these people are happier is laughable at best. What you’re really seeing is conditioning..."  
    — Will Witt, [95:30]
  

• "Law & Order: SVU" episode paints ICE as villains post-violent attack, further stoking anti-immigration enforcement sentiment.

  • "For the average American... I just wonder if this even passes the test anymore, or if average Americans are seeing this and just seeing it for what it is. It's just shell propaganda."
    — Britt Mayer, [98:36]

11. Lighter Fare: Rosie O’Donnell’s Therapist

[101:44–104:56]

• Rosie O’Donnell describes being in therapy over Trump, with panel mocking her performative distress.

    > "I think it's rich that Rosie O' Donnell is in exile. I think she's in Ireland because she's protesting Trump, but then she still really wants to do commentary on Trump. It's like she can't quit him."  
    — Britt Mayer, [103:09]
  

• Rosie’s TikTok lip-syncing performance met with jokes about putting her on the Super Bowl.

Selected Notable Quotes & Moments

• Hegseth on Military Standards:

  "Simply put, if you do not meet the male level physical standards for combat positions, cannot pass a PT test, or don't want to shave and look professional, it's time for a new position or a new profession."
  [04:38]

• Megyn on Career Expectations:

  "If you don't have a jones for that, like Pete said, find a different profession. There's so many out there. Go with God."
  [07:24]

• JK Rowling on Emma Watson:

  "Adults can't expect to cozy up to an activist movement that regularly calls for a friend's assassination, then assert their right to the former friend's love."
  [53:22+]

• Megyn on Transgender Policy:

  "Your perverts. Seriously, like there's something wrong with them that they want to encourage that, but they can't take Beth born stripping down to a modest two piece in the middle of their school board meeting."
  [68:53]

• On Ta-Nehisi Coates:

  "Maybe now would be a time for you to shut the fuck up and stop talking about somebody you didn't know at all in hateful terms."
  — Megyn Kelly, [79:10]

• Mark Halperin’s Direct Critique:

  "That guy was not speaking on teleprompter. ... this man was not a hater. Just not. Just manifestly not."
  [79:47]

• Britt Mayer on Super Bowl selection:

  "They're just trying to shove woke ideology down America's throat... It's not because of who Bad Bunny is. It's cuz they want us woke."
  [90:33]

Key Timed Segments (Timestamps: MM:SS)

• [03:01] Hegseth fitness standards & speech
• [11:11] Hegseth: purge of woke/DEI/identity focus
• [14:35] Trump fitness/character remarks
• [17:47] Trump on Obama’s agility
• [19:57] Trump AI video controversy
• [29:50–34:23] Kamala’s “closest election” claim debunked
• [44:48–61:08] J.K. Rowling vs. Emma Watson
• [63:19–72:02] Beth Born’s school board protest
• [72:02–83:46] Ta-Nehisi Coates & Charlie Kirk legacy
• [88:13–93:17] Bad Bunny Super Bowl controversy
• [93:17–100:52] Entertainment as leftist propaganda
• [101:44–104:56] Rosie O’Donnell’s therapy & TikTok

Conclusion

The episode blends political analysis, media critique, and commentary on culture wars—whether it’s military standards, trans debates, or how American values are represented in media and entertainment. Through sharp banter and unapologetic opinion, Megyn and her guests voice ongoing frustrations with progressive orthodoxy, champion traditional standards, and call out what they see as hypocrisy and performative activism. For fans and culture watchers, it's a bracing dose of “no BS, no agenda, and no fear,” true to Megyn’s promise.