The Megyn Kelly Show

Episode: Outrageous Actions After Brown University Shooting, and Rob Reiner's Son Arrested For His Murder
Date: December 15, 2025
Guests: Emily Jashinsky (Host, "After Party with Emily Jashinsky"), Doug (co-host/contributor)

Episode Overview

This episode covers a series of shocking, overlapping tragic news stories: the fallout from the Brown University mass shooting and the authorities’ bungled response, the murder of Hollywood director Rob Reiner and his wife—allegedly by their own son, and the anti-Semitic terrorist attack at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Megyn Kelly and Emily Jashinsky dissect the failures of public officials, the emotional toll on victims’ families, the complexities of addiction and mental illness, and the wider implications for law enforcement, societal compassion, and political discourse.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. Brown University Mass Shooting: Official Response and Public Safety

Segment Start: [00:57]

• Megyn Kelly recaps the confusion after the Brown University shooting, detailing how officials repeatedly revised their narrative and fumbled public communication. A suspect initially detained was publicly declared a person of interest, only for authorities to later retract that and release him.
  • "We were talking about the person of interest...then they announced that guy was not a person of interest after all. Utterly unimpressive." — Megyn Kelly [02:00]
• Authorities did not reissue a shelter-in-place order, even as the real shooter remained at large.
  • "There’s a murderer roaming the community who’s shot a dozen people. But you’re good." — Megyn Kelly [01:35]
• Emily Jashinsky expresses disbelief at the overconfidence shown by officials when detaining the wrong person, especially given the supposed presence of campus CCTV.
  • "You can detain a suspect and not announce it...they projected way, way, way too much security." — Emily Jashinsky [18:25]
• The show criticizes Providence Mayor Brett Smiley for public statements downplaying the ongoing threat.
  • "He was like, 'well, it was the proper thing to do...there have been no additional shootings.' What kind of a boneheaded statement is that?" — Doug [11:50]
• Discussion about trauma for students: The hosts empathize with students’ terror, sharing audio of police rescuing students from the library ([27:36]) and reflecting on the widespread, long-term psychological impact.
  • "These poor kids...just trying to learn, get ahead in this world. And this is the shit they have to deal with." — Megyn Kelly [28:00]
  • "Active shooter drills. And this is every student’s worst nightmare...it is literally the worst nightmare." — Emily Jashinsky [29:21]

Proposed Solutions:

• Armed guards at every campus building.
  • "Is it really so hard for them to beef up their security?...an armed guard at every building." — Doug [33:29]
• Advocates for creation of mental health facilities for people at risk of violence.
  • "We need an institution, a lockup for people who are potential school shooters. Their family and friends know who they are in most of the cases." — Megyn Kelly [35:18]

2. The Murder of Rob Reiner and His Wife, with Their Son as Suspect

Segment Start: [38:57]

• Rob Reiner, acclaimed director and actor, and his wife Michelle were found murdered in their Brentwood home; their son Nick has been arrested and held on $4M bail.
  • "Such an accomplished man. I don’t even think of his politics...I think of his immense talent as an American icon." — Megyn Kelly [03:18]
• Background: Nick had a long history of mental illness and addiction, in and out of rehab 18 times between ages 15–22.
  • "He was in and out of rehab 17 or 18 times from age 15 to now he’s 32...and he was so problematic that he and Rob Reiner made a movie about a father and son where the son is addicted to drugs." — Megyn Kelly [43:34]
• Discusses the family’s public attempts to help Nick—including producing a deeply personal film “Being Charlie.”
  • "They wanted the best for him and they wanted to do everything they could to help, and sometimes you just feel like you run out of options." — Emily Jashinsky [48:59]
• Touches on the emotional complexity of addiction, family “tough love”, and the heartbreak of loving someone in the grips of substance abuse.
  • "You so desperately want the drug addiction to go away, because then the person will come out again." — Megyn Kelly [62:06]
• Notable quote from a family friend/yoga instructor on the challenge of growing up in Hollywood:
  • "The sense of neglect can breed its own delusion in kids. It’s really challenging for children of Hollywood stars to have a clear sense of reality." — via Megyn Kelly quoting Daily Mail [66:11]

Cultural Reflections:

• Highlights Reiner’s immense cultural legacy, playing Meathead on "All in the Family" and directing films like "When Harry Met Sally," "Princess Bride," and "A Few Good Men."
• Emotional clips from “Being Charlie” and interviews with Nick reveal the pain and distance in their relationship, even amid outward efforts to help [47:04, 58:57, 59:34].
• Contrast between money/resources and the inability to "fix" deep mental health and addiction issues.
  • "Money...may make life easier in some ways, but it doesn’t necessarily make life better." — Emily Jashinsky [61:03]

3. Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney – Anti-Semitic Terror Attack

Segment Start: [90:56]

• Details a devastating attack targeting a Hanukkah event, carried out by a father-son duo with ISIS ties: 15 dead, 40 injured.
• Despite Australia’s strict gun laws, the attackers (one on the terror watch list) used six legally owned firearms and ISIS flags.
  • "From a country that has the world’s strictest gun control." — Megyn Kelly [91:17]
• Discusses heroism of Ahmed Al Ahmed, a Muslim bystander who tackled the gunman.
  • "He ran in there and disarmed the shooter...he’s a hero." — Megyn Kelly [91:45]
• Critique of police response and political correctness, with a call for honest focus on the ideological roots of such violence.
  • "There’s something so much deeper that political correctness in the West has blinded us to paying attention." — Emily Jashinsky [94:35]
• Frustration with political leaders for deflecting from the core ideological motivation.
  • "The Prime Minister [Australia] is omitting that from the details...Why can’t we know what country he came from?" — Megyn Kelly [90:56]
  • "He’s already talking about right wing violence...Who says that at this moment?" — Doug [96:04]

4. Political Reactions: Tone-Deafness and Partisan Blame

Segment Start: [101:26]

• Criticism of politicians’ inappropriate or opportunistic responses; eg., Chuck Schumer’s “Go Bills” comment juxtaposed with mass murder [101:26], and Chris Murphy blaming Donald Trump for the Brown shooting [103:35].
  • "That is unhinged. That’s worse." — Doug on Chris Murphy [104:11]
• Critique of Trump’s “Truth Social” post about Rob Reiner, which inappropriately politicized Reiner’s death [79:16].
  • "Not helpful, not the right tone for the moment, not a good example, and really just unfair." — Megyn Kelly [80:48]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the breakdown of public trust:

• "It has to require utter, blatant transparency and honesty...just total transparency is required. Total." — Megyn Kelly [03:18]

On trauma for students:

• "Even though that was the police...those kids now have a trauma that will stay with a lot of them for a long, long time." — Emily Jashinsky [29:21]

On fighting school shootings:

• "We need good guys with guns and we need this kind of a facility and we needed it yesterday." — Megyn Kelly [35:18]

On parental struggle with addicts:

• "The person you love is in there...there’s several layers between you and them in this weird exterior that doesn’t represent the true them." — Megyn Kelly [62:06]

On cultural/ideological denial:

• "Imagine getting them to admit [there’s] something rooted in a religion...assimilating that into Western democracies." — Emily Jashinsky [99:08]

On forgiveness:

• "Forgiveness really does set you free. If you’re feeling like you’re going into a dark place...learning about forgiveness and how powerful it can be. It can make us all so much healthier to follow that example." — Emily Jashinsky [107:10]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:57] Start of main show; breaking news context: Brown shooting, Rob Reiner’s murder
• [11:14] Providence mayor’s press conference, criticized
• [16:21] Emily Jashinsky joins, analysis of Brown shooting response
• [27:36] Audio of police rescuing students from Brown library
• [38:57] Introduction of Rob Reiner murder case
• [43:34] Clip from “Being Charlie” (Reiner’s film with son)
• [58:57, 59:34] Interview clips with Nick Reiner, revealing father-son tension
• [90:56] Australia’s Bondi Beach terror attack details
• [91:17] Video of Ahmed Al Ahmed disarming attacker
• [101:26] Chuck Schumer’s tone-deaf sports remark
• [103:35] Chris Murphy blames Trump for Brown shooting
• [104:48] Reflections on emotional toll, closure

Tone & Style

• Candid, emotional, and sometimes profane—especially in criticizing officials for failures and dishonesty.
  • "Useless fucking press conference. Useless, useless, useless." — Megyn Kelly [00:57]
• Compassionate and empathetic toward victims, families, and those struggling with addiction or trauma.
• Welcoming of spirited debate but prioritizes honesty over partisanship; calls out both left and right when appropriate.
• Reflective and earnest when discussing broader societal issues like mental health, family breakdown, and political polarization.

Summary

This episode is a poignant, raw, and often furious conversation about the failures of public institutions in the face of violence, the heartbreak of addiction and mental illness, and the dangerous ways political discourse can turn tragedy into partisan warfare. It offers pointed criticism of both authorities and politicians, empathy for those suffering loss, and a plea for both greater transparency and compassion. The show mixes topical breakdowns with cultural reminiscences and concludes with reflections on forgiveness and the enduring importance of community, faith, and personal responsibility.

For more:

• Emily Jashinsky’s "After Party with Emily Jashinsky"
• The Megyn Kelly Show weekdays on SiriusXM Channel 111