The Megyn Kelly Show, Ep. 1240: “Leftists Melt Down Over Stephen Miller, Katy Perry's Hypocrisy, and Toprah Interviews Mom”

Host: Megyn Kelly
Guest: Emily Jashinsky (host of After Party with Emily Jashinsky)
Date: January 28, 2026

Overview

In this fiery episode, Megyn Kelly and Emily Jashinsky dissect major political and cultural controversies: the Minneapolis immigration standoff, media and leftist rhetoric around Trump administration officials (especially Stephen Miller), celebrity virtue-signaling and hypocrisy, and the latest in legacy media’s decline with “Toprah” (Tony Dokoupil). The conversation is rapid, unsparing, and at times darkly funny, focusing on the left’s escalating rhetoric and double standards, dysfunction in sanctuary cities, and the swirl of misinformation and celebrity drama.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Minneapolis Immigration Showdown & Sanctuary Cities

(Main discussion: 03:37–34:31)

• Ongoing conflict: Trump administration is clashing with Minnesota’s Democrat leadership, particularly Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry, over refusal to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement due to sanctuary city policies.
  • Kelly: "Sanctuary city of Minneapolis, the policy is we don’t have to help the feds do a thing on immigration enforcement. ... It is not okay for the government of Minneapolis to try to thwart ICE enforcement. But they don’t actually have to help."
• Lack of progress: Both hosts express frustration at the apparent standoff, with the city refusing to cooperate and the federal government unable to compel them without extraordinary measures.
  • Jashinsky: “100% of non-citizen crime is preventable. ... They could be out there leading with policies that would change it. But they’re not budging–not even an inch.” (06:17)
• Public opinion: Recent polling is showing that the public is increasingly blaming the Trump administration for the chaos, rather than local anti-ICE protesters or city officials.
• Political realities: Minneapolis’s deep blue, wealthy, and progressive demographics make policy change unlikely; Trump’s team faces pressure to “surge” and use extreme measures like the Insurrection Act.
• Carrots and sticks: Debate about tactics—whether the federal government should incentivize self-deportation with bigger cash bonuses, or if they need harsher policies, and whether it’s “cheaper” to pay migrants to leave than to deal with them staying (30:12).
  • Kelly: “I’m totally in favor of increasing the money we give them to get out. ... Look at all the money we gave to Ukraine. Let’s give that to the illegals for a one-way ticket to El Salvador.” (30:52)
• Systemic problems: Detailed critique of how the Biden administration fostered a system where, even with denied asylum, migrants are released and rarely deported due to the “honor system.”
• Policy options: Dark humor about “incentivizing” illegals to settle en masse in Minneapolis to make it a locus of the problem, thus creating political pressure on the city (29:28).

Notable Quotes

• "What President Trump is basically asking Minneapolis is to reverse its sanctuary city status. They’re not going to do that. ... This mayor will not help. And neither will the mayor of St. Paul." – Megyn Kelly (11:16)
• “Even liberal citizens—progressive citizens—that's a slap in your face.” – Emily Jashinsky, on Fry’s “based on crimes, not where you’re from” argument (06:17)

2. Messaging, Overstatements, and Fallout Over ICE Use-of-Force Incidents

(Main discussion: 16:27–39:47)

• Overzealous messaging: Critique of Kristi Noem (Trump’s acting DHS Secretary) and others for public statements exaggerating the violent intent and threat posed by individuals like Alex Preddy, which later proved to be overstatements and led to loss of credibility and firings.
  • Kelly: “Noem’s talking about life-or-death situations... unfortunately you can’t do that by running with made-up facts before you know what’s real.” (16:27)
• Blame game and leaks: Discussion on who pushed the aggressive media message within DHS—possibly Greg Bovino, not Stephen Miller. Result: high-profile firings/demotions.
  • Jashinsky: “If you’re out there leaking with sources... It looks like someone is looking for a scapegoat and is trying to say, ‘well, this wasn’t Kristi’s idea.’” (18:26)
• Impact on morale & trust: The hosts argue mishandling these incidents damages public trust needed for mass deportation campaigns and saps morale among ICE and Border Patrol rank-and-file—especially as they face real danger in the field every day.
  • Kelly: “You need the trust of the public in order to carry out a mass deportation campaign.” (23:15)
• Confusion and law enforcement realities: Kelly insists the Preddy shooting was likely lawful (imperfect self-defense), but problematic, and that high-pressure, hostile environments lead to tragic, sometimes avoidable errors.

Notable Quotes

• "Her status is lessened and maybe they want someone else to take over the reins..." – Emily Jashinsky, on Kristi Noem’s likely future in DHS (40:05)
• "You want to be really careful in what you say... [Noem] made herself look like a liar, which means she made DHS look like liars." – Megyn Kelly (16:27)

3. Media, Rhetoric, and the Left’s Escalation: Nazi Comparisons & Calls for Retribution

(Main discussion: 41:05–51:21+)

• Explosive rhetoric: Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway compared Stephen Miller to Himmler and called for “Nuremberg trial” analogues for Trump officials, which both Kelly and Jashinsky denounce as “beyond the pale” and dangerous.
  • Kelly: “She’s literally saying: Stephen Miller is that guy. I mean, that’s fucking crazy talk… why else would you make a comparison [to Himmler]?” (43:07)
  • Jashinsky: “This is not just calling ICE the Gestapo. This is going further and saying you are like someone who is engineering a genocide.” (44:48)
• Security concerns: Stephen Miller and his family are under death threats, amplified by such comparisons (45:53).
• Media irresponsibility: Hosts bemoan the left’s indulgence of incendiary, Nazi-era analogies while ignoring far larger death tolls and abuses by Democratic administrations, e.g., Obama’s drone strikes.

Notable Quotes

• “I think the answer is that Kara Swisher is not nearly important enough to warrant a rebuke... but on the right, I think they would be eager to rebuke someone who made a direct Himmler comparison...” – Emily Jashinsky (44:48)
• “Stephen Miller... is already under daily death threats. Not the mild kind... This is no way to live.” – Megyn Kelly (45:53)

4. Celebrity Meltdowns, Virtue-Signaling, and Hypocrisy

(Main section: 54:12–74:46)

Ethan Hawke Claims Chilling of Speech

• Hawke, at Sundance, claims he feels more scared to speak freely than ever (“a kind of fear in the air that I’ve never felt before” [55:02]).
  • Kelly & Jashinsky cite years of left-wing policing of speech in Hollywood and scoff at the idea Hawke is oppressed under Trump.
  • Kelly: “The Jury is in. And they do not find Ethan Hawke in any way reluctant to share his obnoxious, uninformed Hollywood baseless opinions.” (58:29)

More Celebrity Outrage: Ellen, Molly Ringwald, Katy Perry

• Ellen posts about her birthday and “holding space,” but is mocked for her self-absorption (63:20).
• Molly Ringwald likens the US to “fascist France” under Nazi occupation, urging resistance, all while reminiscing on her time living in France and pronouncing her credentials as an authority on fascism.
  • Jashinsky: "It’s like the girl who studied abroad... did not come back the same.” (66:53)
• Katy Perry campaigns to block ICE funding and is exposed as a hypocrite for her own luxurious, carbon-intensive travel, security dependence, and climate activism (72:29).
  • Kelly, mocking: “She just got off of her rocket ship. She’s Alan Shepard. ... She cares about the environment, and she wants us all to know that, to do as she says, not as she does.” (72:32)

Ben & Jerry’s Founder’s Mourning

• Ben Cohen laments “the beginning of the end of the land of the free” and calls for ICE to be “defunded and disbanded” (75:42).
  • Both hosts call this out as out-of-touch and offensive, especially considering border agent bravery.

5. Violent Rhetoric and Unhinged Behavior Among Leftist Activists and Health Professionals

(Main discussion: 86:10–96:25)

• Alex Preddy’s ties to anti-ICE agitation: New evidence suggests Preddy was part of coordinated activist chat groups tracking ICE and inciting confrontations.
  • Jashinsky: “They don’t know if they’re protecting a sex offender or ... someone who does not belong on the streets of Minneapolis. Very dangerous situation for everybody involved.” (86:11)
• Violence from “resistance” nurses:
  • Melinda Cook (VCU Health): Advocated using medical supplies to harm ICE agents; fired and reported to licensing board after viral clip.
  • Lexi Lawler (Florida): Wished severe injury on conservative commentator Caroline Levitt in grotesque, profane language; fired and lost nursing license—no remorse (93:55).
  • Kelly: “How can any Republican or right-leaning person go into a facility and encounter Alexi Lawler or a Melinda Cook ... and feel comfortable in their care?” (92:08)
• Bias in professional associations: Hosts call out the American Nurses Association for decrying police killing of Preddy but ignoring the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant and remaining silent on violent rhetoric from radical nurses.

6. Media Criticism: Tony ‘Toprah’ Dokoupil at CBS & Network Failures

(Main discussion: 96:25–105:17)

• CBS Evening News under “Toprah”:

  • Lampooned for prioritizing sentimental, Oprah-esque “mom” interviews and self-referential segments over serious journalism.
  • Kelly/Jashinsky argue the pivot under new leadership shows detachment from real public concerns and a lack of gravitas – “It’s a Saturday Night Live sketch in real time.” (101:35)
  • “The need isn’t to feminize him; they need to work in a different lane but are too stupid at CBS...” – Megyn Kelly (100:25)

• Broader network critique: Outlets like CBS and ABC accused of “dangerous propaganda” in their coverage of law enforcement actions, omitting key context and further distorting public perception of events (98:07).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (With Timestamps)

• “100% of non-citizen crime is preventable.” – Emily Jashinsky (06:17)
• Kelly: "We're being ruled by a bunch of morons, I mean by absolute cretins like Jacob Fry." (29:31)
• On Himmler comparison: “She’s literally saying Stephen Miller is that guy. ... That’s fucking crazy talk.” – Megyn Kelly (43:07)
• “This is not just calling ICE the Gestapo. This is going further...” – Emily Jashinsky (44:48)
• “If we have to pay some money in order to get rid of them, so be it.” – Megyn Kelly (32:10)
• "Molly Ringwald should be on the front of your agenda today..." – Megyn Kelly (66:12)
• On Toprah: “This is literally shit that Oprah would do. ... This is evening news on CBS, where you need to be able to be taken seriously on matters like Syria and Ukraine and nukes and Russia, and no one gives a shit about your mommy.” – Megyn Kelly (100:25)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Sanctuary Cities, Minneapolis ICE clash: 03:37–34:31
• DHS Messaging, Noem/Bovino’s Fate: 16:27–41:05
• Leftist Rhetoric, Nazi Comparisons: 41:05–51:21
• Celebrity Meltdowns (Ethan Hawke, Molly Ringwald, Katy Perry, Ben & Jerry): 54:12–77:05
• Activist Violence, Nurse Incidents: 86:10–96:25
• Network News Critique (Toprah): 96:25–105:17

Conclusion

This episode is a lively, sometimes exasperated, takedown of progressive rhetoric, sanctuary city politics, the perils of performative activism, media decay, and the dangers of ideological capture in both health care and entertainment. If you want a no-holds-barred, right-leaning critique of the day’s biggest flashpoints—and a healthy dose of media lampooning—this episode brings it all, with Megyn Kelly and Emily Jashinsky at their most unsparing, punctuated by moments of biting humor.