1. Megyn Marie Kelly is an American journalist, attorney, political commentator, and media personality.
64 Facts About Megyn Kelly
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Megyn Kelly moderated several presidential primary debates during the 2016 and 2024 election cycles.
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Megyn Kelly's show The Kelly File, which aired from 2013 to 2017, focused on breaking news and political events and was one of the network's top-rated programs.
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Megyn Kelly left NBC in January 2019 and later transitioned to independent media with her podcast and online platforms.
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Megyn Kelly was born on November 18,1970 in Champaign, Illinois, to Edward Francis Megyn Kelly, Ed.
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Megyn Kelly grew up with an older sister, Suzanne.
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Megyn Kelly is of Italian and German descent on her mother's side and Irish descent on her father's.
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Megyn Kelly's father died of a heart attack in 1985 when she was 15 years old.
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Megyn Kelly has a step-sister and a step-brother from her mother's second marriage, to Peter Kirwan.
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Megyn Kelly attended Tecumseh Elementary School in suburban Syracuse, New York.
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Megyn Kelly obtained an undergraduate degree in political science from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University in 1992 and earned a JD from Albany Law School in 1995.
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Megyn Kelly later worked at Jones Day for nine years, where one of her clients was the credit bureau Experian.
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In 2003, Megyn Kelly moved to Washington, DC, where she was hired by the ABC affiliate WJLA-TV as a general assignment reporter.
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Megyn Kelly covered national and local events, including live coverage of the confirmation hearings for US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John G Roberts, the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and the 2004 presidential election.
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Megyn Kelly contributed legal segments for Special Report with Brit Hume and hosted her own legal segment, Kelly's Court, during Weekend Live.
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Megyn Kelly appeared in a weekly segment on The O'Reilly Factor and occasionally filled in for Greta Van Susteren on On the Record, where most of her reporting focused on legal and political matters.
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Megyn Kelly occasionally contributed as an anchor, but more often as a substitute anchor on weekends.
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On February 1,2010, Megyn Kelly began hosting her own two-hour afternoon show, America Live, which replaced The Live Desk.
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In December 2010, Megyn Kelly hosted a New Year's Eve special with Bill Hemmer.
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Megyn Kelly received media attention for her coverage of the results of the 2012 United States presidential election.
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The Megyn Kelly File was occasionally the channel's ratings leader, topping The O'Reilly Factor.
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In June 2015, Megyn Kelly interviewed Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar of 19 Kids and Counting regarding their son Josh Duggar's alleged molestation of five girls in 2002.
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Megyn Kelly later interviewed two of their daughters, Jill and Jessa.
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Megyn Kelly's moderating generated a range of media and political reactions and her professionalism was criticized by Trump.
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Megyn Kelly responded to Trump's criticism by saying she would not "apologize for doing good journalism".
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Megyn Kelly appeared on the cover of the February 2016 issue of Vanity Fair.
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In late 2016, with her Fox contract in its final months, Megyn Kelly was rumored to be actively considering moving to other news networks.
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Megyn Kelly departed Fox News on January 6,2017, after the last episode of The Kelly File was aired.
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In January 2017 People, quoting an unspecified source, reported that Megyn Kelly remained under a non-compete clause with Fox until July 2017, which would prevent her from working for a competitor until the clause expired, unless it would be canceled prior.
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On June 2,2017, Kelly interviewed Russian president Vladimir Putin, first in a panel discussion she moderated at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum and later in a one-on-one interview for the premiere episode of NBC's Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, which aired June 4,2017.
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Kelly's daytime talk show, Megyn Kelly Today, premiered in September 2017.
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Megyn Kelly was paid reportedly between $15 million and $20 million a year at NBC.
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On October 23,2018, Kelly was criticized for on-air remarks she made on Megyn Kelly Today related to the appropriateness of blackface as part of Halloween costumes.
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Megyn Kelly recollected that "when I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up like a character", and defended Luann de Lesseps's use of skin darkening spray to wear a Diana Ross Halloween costume.
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Megyn Kelly's employment was terminated on January 11,2019, and she was paid the $30 million due for the remainder of her contract.
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Since transitioning to independent media, The Megyn Kelly Show has experienced significant growth.
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On December 6,2023, Megyn Kelly returned to the moderator desk to co-host the fourth Republican primary debate on NewsNation, alongside Elizabeth Vargas and Eliana Johnson.
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On November 4,2024, the day before the 2024 presidential election, Megyn Kelly publicly endorsed Donald Trump at a rally in Pittsburgh.
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On January 17,2025, Megyn Kelly stated on her show that she would be attending Trump's second inauguration on January 20, and would be delivering remarks on stage at his rally the night before.
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On February 18,2025, Kelly announced the launch of a second podcast, AM Update with Megyn Kelly, which is set to premiere on February 19.
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Unlike The Megyn Kelly Show, which features guest discussions and debates, AM Update will follow a daily digest format, summarizing major headlines.
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On March 10th, 2025, Megyn Kelly won the IHeartRadio podcast award for Best Political podcast.
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Politically, Megyn Kelly identifies as an independent, and told Variety in 2015 that she had voted for both Democrats and Republicans.
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In 2025, Kelly opened up about her shift in political standing on The Megyn Kelly Show, stating that:.
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Megyn Kelly argued that politicians lack the courage to push through change and that most proposed reforms would be ineffective.
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Megyn Kelly pointed to the NRA's significant influence as a major barrier to reform, emphasizing the need for both politicians and the public to demand serious action.
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In June 2023, Megyn Kelly explained that her opinion had shifted from supporting "preferred pronouns" to opposing them, citing concerns about their connection to gender-affirming care for minors.
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Megyn Kelly argued that such policies harmed women's rights and children's safety.
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Megyn Kelly stated she would no longer use preferred pronouns but would still approach transgender individuals with empathy.
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Megyn Kelly criticized the inclusion of transgender women in women's spaces and sports, as well as medical intervention for transgender youth.
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Megyn Kelly explained that her decision was driven particularly by issues like transgender issues and cultural changes that were affecting her children.
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Megyn Kelly stated that her vote was based on principles rather than personal preference, emphasizing her desire to protect traditional values and preserve fundamental freedoms.
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In October 2024, after Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, citing Tim Walz's LGBTQ policies, Megyn Kelly criticized her during an on stage interview with Tucker Carlson.
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In February 2016, Megyn Kelly signed an agreement with HarperCollins to write an autobiography scheduled for release later that year, in a deal worth more than $10 million.
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Megyn Kelly is portrayed in the film by Charlize Theron, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance.
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Megyn Kelly said she was not consulted for the film's content; however, after viewing a screening of the film, Megyn Kelly held a roundtable discussion with other involved parties such as Juliet Huddy, Rudi Bakhtiar, Douglas Brunt, and former Fox News producer Julie Zann.
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Megyn Kelly confirmed and denied several moments in the film, while describing the film overall as an emotional experience for her.
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In early 2023, Megyn Kelly teased that she had to join SAG-AFTRA for an upcoming secret project.
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Megyn Kelly was first married in 2001 to Daniel Kendall, an anesthesiologist, in a Catholic ceremony.
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In March 2024, Megyn Kelly disclosed that she was undergoing the Catholic annulment process for her marriage with Kendall.
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In 2008, Megyn Kelly married Douglas Brunt, then president and CEO of the cybersecurity firm Authentium.
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Megyn Kelly has appeared at a fundraiser for the conservative group Moms for Liberty and Turning Point USA's Young Women's Leadership Summit.
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Megyn Kelly has been open about her health challenges, revealing that she has Raynaud's disease.
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In 2022, Megyn Kelly announced that her older sister, Suzanne Crossley, had died from a heart attack following a battle with addiction.