I’m a ‘liberal cry-baby’, so it goes without saying that I there would be no alternative universe in which I would ever agree, nor see any gray area of common ground, with former Fox News host Megyn Kelly. I never thought in a million years that I would ever defend her either—but, let’s face it, the world of misogyny and sexism is kind of funny.
Megyn Kelly has always held political views that have never been less than problematic and disturbing. The former corporate defense attorney had been a reporter and contributor for Fox News, before having two of her own shows, ‘American Live’, and most recently ‘The Kelly File’, which aired week nights on Fox News for 4 years. Her reporting, more often than not, is completely bias and one sided, and Kelly quite often aims to belittle her guests with opposing views. Some of her opinions have even danced the along the lines of being incredibly racist and sterotypical, although she strongly disputes that she is or ever has been racist. Known for her inability to accept the fact that she is not always right, Kelly’s tone over the last ten years has left the show host with more enemies than friends. While I find Kelly’s bizarre tirades on everything downright backwards, illogical, and hard to watch, it would be cynical to ignore the sexism Kelly has faced in the recent year, which has aimed at discrediting the outspoken journalist in more ways than one, has all been due to the fact that she is a woman with a fairly unpopular opinion.
After a leaked chapter of Kelly’s memoir, which disclosed the sexual harassment she endured at the hands of her boss, former Fox News CEO, Roger Ailes, was made public, and the later disgusting, and absolutely trashy comments made by the then presidential nominee Donald Trump about Kelly after she asked him a question during a debate that he honestly did not have an answer to (shocker!), I found myself feeling a pang of sadness for Kelly. I’ll rephrase—I felt myself feeling a pang of sadness for women in Kelly’s position everywhere. Unfortunately, no matter what positions you hold, you’re a woman first; emotional, erratic, and incapable of processing rational thought, possibly all due to PMS. Your male counterparts will be quick, as almost as if on que, to turn their backs on you, because of the clear line you have drawn between you and them, when you choose to point out the sexism that makes you different. In a way, it’s like saying, “You have everything, why start all these problems”? Kelly faced so much unfair scrutiny and backlash between coming forward about the sexual harassment she faced, and the war between her and the now Tweeter-in-Chief, she lost a majority of her conservative fan base, and after her ratings dropped instantly as Trump supporters boycotted her show, she left Fox News in the beginning of 2017 after 13 years. And, almost uncoincidentally, Kelly’s time slot was instantly replaced with a man.
Fox News has always pandered to the same Americans, and holds values that will never resonate with people of color like myself, or anybody within any marginalized group in the United States. The outlet is known for being problematic, and the frequent, obvious distortion of the truth that has made the channel so popular makes watching anything they have to offer unbearable. In turn, I was less than surprised when Kelly’s co-workers, hosts that she has worked with in the past, were quick to distance themselves from her in the midst of her allegations, and especially during her feud with Donald Trump.
The backlash that came in the wake of her now public allegations, and the heated debate she moderated during the election, led many to call her “unprofessional”, and in the same breath, say that she was making the entire sexual harassment accusation up, saying that her behavior during the debate was a direct cause of being a woman, and always on the offensive. It fueled the already unspoken, and backwards logic that if a woman decides to come forward publicly about any sort of sexual misconduct they have faced, there is usually an appendix attached to it, and all her actions that follow are a result of being unstable. I may not agree with Kelly in any aspect, but this example of shaming women into silence, because speaking up about any sort of sexual harassment or violence discredits you professionally, is a direct result of the misogynistic sentiments and biases that play so heavily in the lives of women every single day. A societal microscope, which watches every woman with gigantic, prying eyes, will never let you live comfortably in your own skin if and when there is an opportunity to discredit your accomplishments.
Combating these narratives that aim to discredit women everywhere, despite their professional background, academic degrees, and experience, is never as easy as one would assume. In fact, it is a lot more complex than you think—it revolves around deconstructing these narratives by choosing to reform your ‘brand’ through proving that you are not what is under the microscope. It is also easier said than done, and simultaneously, exhausting, unfair, and confusing. Why should any woman have to prove her worth based off of her credentials time and time again? For the simple fact that it is easier to be dismissed as a liar, in Kelly’s case, than to prove that the talk show host had nothing personal to gain by coming forward with her allegations. In the case with her feud with Donald Trump, which is at a low simmer at the moment, although a majority of us know the man is completely delusional, opponents of Kelly rallied behind him and called her unprofessional, despite her work in the past.
Kelly, who left Fox News at the beginning of the year, will be continuing her show on NBC, which is known for their more liberal point of view. Although it is highly unlikely that the fiery, outspoken host will change her political views or tone due to her new platform, Kelly taking her career to NBC instead of quitting amidst the horrible sexism she has face shows the ways in which women have to always be the bigger person, and starting from scratch is the only option.