The Megyn Kelly Show: Massive Day For Women's Sports at SCOTUS, and Remembering Scott Adams | Ep. 1229 (January 13, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode centers on two main events: the U.S. Supreme Court's significant hearing on the rights of states to ban biological males from competing in girls' sports and a heartfelt remembrance of Scott Adams, the creator of "Dilbert." Megyn Kelly is joined by Kristen Waggoner, CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who shares firsthand insights from the frontlines of the legal battle over women’s sports, and Andrew Klavan, who discusses cultural trends, legal battles and pays tribute to Adams.

Supreme Court Arguments on Women's Sports (00:46–41:17)

Main Theme

The Supreme Court heard arguments concerning whether states can constitutionally ban biological males from participating in girls' sports—cases rooted in Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause. The outcome will impact 27 states with such bans, and could set precedent for the remaining states that allow trans-identified males to compete in girls’ sports.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Megyn Kelly’s On-the-Ground Take (00:46–05:25)

• Megyn attended the arguments: She highlights the historical importance, stating:
  • "The question was basically, does a state have the right to ban biological boys from girls' sports?" (04:07)
• Predicted outcome:
  • Kelly predicts a 6-3 ruling upholding the bans.
  • Expresses concern that the conservative justices might allow blue states to keep permitting biological males in girls’ sports.

Kristen Waggoner’s Legal Analysis (05:25–19:57)

• Reactions to oral arguments:

  • Agrees with Kelly on likely outcome (“6-3 is probably the way it will result…” 05:34).
  • Notes the ACLU’s retreat on some arguments, especially its refusal to define "sex."
    • “They [ACLU] essentially rolled back their arguments on Title IX altogether, even saying that the lower court decision that they won under was wrong. So that’s great.” (05:44)
  • Frustration that impacts on female athletes were minimized:
    • "Why are we not talking about the women here?" (06:20)

• Reality of affected girls:

  • Details the impact of trans-identified males—e.g., BPJ (Becky Pepper-Jackson) in West Virginia:
    • “BPJ has taken… 423 girls have been affected and lost places since BPJ competed in middle school. 1,100 times this has happened and he's taken 57 medals from the girls.” (08:34)
  • Praises protesting girls who walked out in solidarity:
    • “It was an act of true courage for these girls to take a stand. Not mentioned at all today.” (11:44)

• SCOTUS using ‘she/her’ for biological males:

  • Both shocked at justices using pronouns matching gender identity rather than sex.
    • “Even Chief Justice Roberts was good... but I definitely heard Gorsuch do it. I think I heard Barrett do it, and I think I heard Kavanaugh do.” (12:29)

• Missed opportunity to define biological sex:

  • Alito challenges BPJ lawyer’s reluctance to define sex:
    • “How can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means for equal protection purposes?” (16:10–16:22)

The Locker Room and Environment for Girls (20:03–23:42)

• Safety and privacy concerns:
  • Waggoner recounts allegations that BPJ repeatedly sexually harassed his female teammates, including threats of sexual assault (22:32).
  • “Imagine having your daughter being threatened with sexual assault two to three times a week, which is what’s going on here. No more.” (20:03)

The “Individual Exception” Trap (23:42–26:18)

• Arguments for making exceptions for males on puberty blockers:

  • Waggoner explains why individualized exceptions are unworkable and not science-based:
    • “It’s completely unadministratable... The ACLU today made the case that they do believe in sex based athletics... They just want boys who identify as girls to be able to come into the girls category.” (25:19)

• Puberty blockers don’t erase male advantage:

  • Kelly: “All the advantage of male puberty and male bone length and strength and heart and lung capacity and all the rest of it.” (27:06)
  • Waggoner: “The science tells us... all of these physical advantages don’t go away with puberty blockers.” (28:04)

Title IX and the Bostock Problem (29:02–33:49)

• Legacy and precedent:
  • Discussion of the 2020 Bostock ruling, which interpreted Title VII to protect gender identity in employment.
  • Kelly: "Unfortunately for us, though, we're stuck with Bostock ..." (29:02)
  • Waggoner: “Bostock is a decision that we’ve essentially been litigating around since it came out. We believe it’s a wrongly decided decision and a poorly reasoned decision.” (31:02)

Courage of Affected Female Athletes (34:57–38:58)

• Impact on girls who speak out:
  • Waggoner praises athletes’ courage, resilience, and the unfairness of media coverage:
    • “These girls... are not going to get a puff profile done on them. They’re made out to be villains.” (36:01)
  • Media bias: Contrasts ABC’s sympathetic coverage of BPJ with the lack of support for affected girls (37:06).
• Statistics:
  • “... up to upwards of 900 medals lost.” (38:58)
  • The UN report confirms losses for girls due to biological males in girls’ competitions.

Looking Forward

• Waggoner remains hopeful but acknowledges the uphill battle to restore biological reality in law and policy:
  • “I’m optimistic the court’s going to rule the right way. I’m also resolved that we have a lot more work to do...” (41:11)

Notable Quotes

• Megyn Kelly:
  • “The Supreme Court is really one of the last few places where there’s true decorum that is maintained.” (07:01)
  • “Reality matters. Actual fact. Biological pronouns matter.” (11:44)
• Kristen Waggoner:
  • “It is about biological reality and it is about erasing the differences between men and women. And that cannot happen on our watch.” (08:34)
  • “Language is so critical, and the court knows that...this decorum that you’re talking about. No one wants to hurt people...But I think we’re getting confused about what compassion and kindness actually looks like, because it can’t exist without truth.” (12:41)
  • “Ten more years of this is insanity.” (18:44)
• Justice Alito (paraphrased):
  • “How can a court determine whether there’s discrimination on the basis of sex without knowing what sex means for equal protection purposes?” (16:10)
• Chief Justice Roberts (paraphrased):
  • Supportive tagging with Alito on need for a clear definition (15:32).

Remembering Scott Adams (Dilbert Creator) (71:24–89:10)

Main Theme

The episode pays tribute to Scott Adams, the creator of "Dilbert," who passed away from metastatic prostate cancer. Megyn Kelly and Andrew Klavan reflect on his influence, ideas, and the divisive media coverage following his death.

Key Discussion Points

• Adams’ passing and final message:

  • His ex-wife delivered his last words, where Adams jokingly invokes Pascal’s wager and “accepts Jesus Christ as [his] Lord and Savior” in case heaven’s real. (71:47)
  • “I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior and look forward to spending an eternity with him. The part about me not being a believer should be quite quickly resolved if I wake up in heaven.” (71:47)

• Media coverage and criticism:

  • Kelly and Klavan denounce outlets like People Magazine and The New York Times for focusing on a single controversial episode (his 2023 comments about a poll on black/white relations) in obituaries.
  • “He never made racist remarks. He said that a poll showing that more than half of black people didn’t like white people. He said you might want to avoid people on the basis of that because they’re hostile. That’s not a racist remark. That’s about hostility and about the way people feel…” (72:33)

• Adams’s contributions:

  • Recognized as an original, creative thinker, and as the “Trump whisperer” who predicted Trump’s success through his expertise in persuasion and human behavior. (76:12)

• Legacy & Lessons:

  • “He was a voice that made the Internet better, which is not an easy thing to do. And I'm really going to miss him.” (72:33)
  • Adams’ final written message: “If you got any benefits from my work, I’m asking you to pay it forward as best you can. That is a legacy I want. Be useful. And please know I loved you all to the end.” (79:40)

Notable Quotes

• Megyn Kelly:
  • “I learned from Scott a lot. I found so many useful nuggets in the lessons that he brought.” (79:40)
  • “Why can't there be a bigger pull among the media to just...when you're eulogizing someone, just try to stick to their best moments and bury the stuff you find controversial.” (79:40)
• Andrew Klavan:
  • “He was a creative, original guy, full of goodwill, almost always gracious, which I really appreciate in this atmosphere...He was a voice that made the Internet better.” (72:33)

Broader Culture, Law, and Media (46:11–67:11)

Andrew Klavan Segment

• On reality and gender ideology in culture:
  • "It's insane that a college professor's theory can talk an entire nation... out of one of the essential facts of human life." (47:02)
  • “If you follow this to its absolute logical conclusion, you simply have dead bodies lying over a 100-yard field... It is insane.” (48:09)
• Media and left-wing movements:
  • The panel critiques how certain leftist narratives dominate media and academia, and how language, decorum, and law enforcement are used or abused by activists.
  • Kelly notes the public outcry and media framing after law enforcement actions in highly-charged, politicized contexts. (53:02)
• Rule of law double-standards:
  • Discussion of the Clintons refusing a congressional subpoena, contrasting the previous jailing of Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro.

Timestamps for Important Segments

• SCOTUS arguments overview: 00:46–05:25
• Legal deep dive with Kristen Waggoner: 05:25–41:17
• Alito underlines the issue with definition of sex: 15:32–16:22
• Statistical impact of biological males in female sports: 27:39, 38:58
• Scott Adams final message and tribute: 71:24–74:59, 79:40
• Andrew Klavan on reality and gender theory: 47:02–49:07
• Media coverage on law enforcement & left activism: 53:02–60:34
• Clintons flout congressional subpoena discussion: 64:21–67:11

Memorable Moments

• On ACLU’s failure to define “sex”:
  • “The veil was brought back on the fact that they refused to even define what sex is. So I'm not sure how you can find sex discrimination if you can't articulate what sex is.” – Kristen Waggoner (05:44)
• On courage of female athletes:
  • “It was an act of true courage... Not mentioned at all today.” – Megyn Kelly (11:44)
• On language and its power:
  • “Language is so critical, and the court knows that... but at the same time, this decorum... No one wants to hurt their feelings or unnecessarily offend. And I think that's how this thing, you know, the women got steamrolled in the first place.” – Kristen Waggoner (12:41)
• On Adams’ conversion at death:
  • "I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior..." – Scott Adams via Shelly Miles Adams (71:47)

Tone

The episode is marked by impassioned, combative commentary (Kelly’s style), reverence and admiration for fighters in the legal sphere (Waggoner), and cultural-political lament and wit (Klavan). It combines legal expertise, firsthand reporting, and deep personal reflections on loss, legacy, and the importance of speaking truth to power.

Summary

In this weighty episode, Megyn Kelly brings listeners into the Supreme Court as it debates the future of women’s sports—offering legal detail, inside perspective, and sharp cultural critique. She and Kristen Waggoner dissect the arguments, lament the sidelining of female athletes, and call out the refusal to face biological realities. Later, Kelly and Andrew Klavan reflect somberly (but with warmth and humor) on the loss of Scott Adams, challenging the mainstream media’s mean-spirited coverage and remembering Adams’ creative genius, courage, and impact.

Listeners come away with a clear sense of the gravity of the SCOTUS case, the personal stakes for affected girls, frustrations over legal and media wrangling over language and identity, and a poignant meditation on mortality, legacy, and moral clarity.