When Megyn Kelly announced that she would be leaving Fox News after more than a decade on the channel in 2017, she chalked her decision up to wanting to spend more meaningful time with her kids. However, not long after that, she admitted Donald Trump had played a very big role in her exit — and not because he preached the importance of involved parenting.
As a quick refresher, Kelly announced her exit from Fox News in January 2017. At the time, she said that being present for her kids was one of her chief priorities, and we have no doubts that that did play a role in her choice. However, a few months down the line, she shared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that while she’d been feeling as though prime-time cable news wasn’t for her for a while, Trump’s constant picking on her was ultimately the final nail in the coffin for her Fox News career. “Donald Trump has a way of clarifying one’s life choices, and that was true in my case, too,” she joked. In particular, Kelly noted that Trump’s calls to boycott her put into perspective just how over it she was. “He was very focused, and it was just a clarification and an affirmation that I did not want to live like this,” she went on to explain.
Of course, things have subsequently changed, and today Kelly is a vocal supporter of Trump. In fact, Kelly and Trump’s relationship has even been seen as a little weird at times, given just how much of a 180 it’s been. That said, that hasn’t stopped her from addressing the impact he had on her life leading up to her resignation — and she’s even thrown some playful shade on the entire ordeal.
Megyn Kelly doesn’t believe Trump’s attacks on her were personal
Influencing someone to quit their job of more than 10 years is a pretty big deal, so it’s no surprise that many were shocked to see Megyn Kelly end up supporting Donald Trump in the 2024 election. That said, her switcheroo hasn’t come without a few barbs here and there (even if they did come across as more playful than instances of Kelly’s shady side). Case in point: Kelly not-so-subtly comparing the president to a teenage girl. Speaking to “Frontline,” Kelly explained that she believed Trump’s motivations in going after her were never malicious, but simply showcased his love for putting on a show. “I think he’s got this flair for the dramatic. Like, I have a 13-year-old girl. 13-year-old girls, they love drama, and I think Trump’s got a fair amount of that in him, too,” she said. She’s certainly not wrong.
Elsewhere in the interview, Kelly also acknowledged that Trump falls into the category of celebs who’ll do anything for attention. “Trump does enjoy being the center of attention,” she noted, going as far as saying being spoken about was essentially “his oxygen.”
As for her quitting Fox News, Kelly told “Frontline” that while looking back, she was still upset with how everything had gone down, taking stock of who Trump was as a person had helped her distance herself somewhat. “The attacks weren’t exactly on Megyn Kelly, the person. They were on Megyn Kelly, the brand, the journalist … if they could bring her down or show to the electorate they weren’t afraid of her, and they were happy to keep bashing her, it would send a message that they were tough, that they would fight for them,” she explained. Kudos to Kelly for being the bigger person, we guess.
