Megyn Kelly's Most Controversial Moments Ever

• On Tuesday, Megyn Kelly appeared to defend blackface in a conversation on her NBC show about inappropriate or offensive Halloween costumes.
• After a swift backlash from viewers and colleagues alike, she issued an apology. Her NBC show, however, was canceled on Friday.
• It's not her first time saying something many people found racist or offensive.

On Tuesday, Megyn Kelly hosted a discussion on her NBC morning show Megyn Kelly Today about inappropriate or offensive Halloween costumes, and the topic turned to blackface.

"But what is racist?" Kelly asked. "Because you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid that was OK, as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character."

Her comments caused immediate outrage with viewers and colleagues, many of whom pointed out the long racist history of blackface. Kelly quickly apologized, but it was too little too late. On Friday, a NBC News spokesperson confirmed her show had been canceled in a statement to ELLE (opens in new tab), saying, “Megyn Kelly Today is not returning. Next week, the 9 a.m. hour will be hosted by other Today co-anchors."

NBC probably should not have been surprised by Kelly's comments—or the backlash they incurred. Since Megyn Kelly TODAY premiered in September 2017, Kelly has caused controversy among both viewers and her guests. But her contentious comments date all the way back to when she hosted The Kelly File on Fox News from 2013 to 2017, and was a news anchor on the cable news network since 2004.

Here is a look back at some of the most controversial moments of Kelly's career.

Kelly defends blackface

On Tuesday, Kelly invited an all-white panel to discuss the Kent University's list of inappropriate or offensive Halloween costumes (opens in new tab). In the clip above, Kelly argued it's OK for a white person to use makeup to change their skin tone to dress up as a black person on Halloween.

In addition to her point about how blackface was "okay" when she "was a kid," Kelly mentioned Real Housewives of New York's Luanne de Lesseps, who appeared to darken her skin for a Diana Ross costume, as an appropriate example.

After an outcry from viewers and colleagues, Kelly issued an apology to her co-workers and viewers, sending an email to NBC staffers that said, in part, "One of the wonderful things about my job is that I get the chance to express and hear a lot of opinions. Today is one of those days where listening carefully to other points of view, including from friends and colleagues, is leading me to rethink my own views."

Her colleagues Al Roker and Craig Melvin both spoke out as well (opens in new tab). Roker said her emailed apology to colleagues was not adequate. "She owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country, because this is a history going back to the 1830s. Minstrel shows," he said. "To demean and denigrate a race wasn't right."

"There was some criticism yesterday online that this was political correctness," said Craig Melvin, a new co-host at Today. "That's silly. And It's disingenuous. And it's just as ignorant and racist as the statement itself."

Kelly presses Jane Fonda on plastic surgery

In September 2017, Kelly's interview with Jane Fonda turned incredibly awkward (opens in new tab) when Kelly asked the then-79-year-old about past plastic surgeries.

"You've been an example to everyone in how to age beautifully and with strength and unapologetically," Kelly said. "You admit you've had work done, which is to your credit. I read that you said you're not proud to admit that you've had work done. Why not?"

Fonda was visibly put off by the question and responded, "We really want to talk about that now?" In subsequent interviews the actress complained about Kelly's question.

But Kelly did not back down. She later addressed Fonda's remarks, saying, “I have no regrets about that question, nor am I in the market for a lesson from Jane Fonda on what is and is not appropriate. After all, this is a woman whose name is synonymous with outrage." The latter seemed to take a dig at Fonda's own controversial history with the Vietnam War (opens in new tab).

Kelly comments on a Will and Grace superfan's sexuality

Also in September 2017, Kelly invited a Will and Grace superfan to meet the cast of the revived NBC show. She spoke about how the original show impacted LGBTQ viewers, and invited the super-fan to share his story.

"Is it true that you became a lawyer and you became gay because of Will?" Kelly said. She then added, "I don't know about the lawyer thing, but I think the Will and Grace and the gay thing are going to work out great."

Many found Kelly's remarks deeply offensive and called her out for saying the fan "became gay because of Will."

Actress Debra Messing, who was present during the segment, said she wished he hadn't done the show after hearing Kelly's remarks. “Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments," Messing said in an Instagram comment (opens in new tab).

Kelly encourages body-shaming

In January, Kelly hosted a segment with Maria Kang, a fitness influencer who came under fire after posting a photo of herself and her three children with the caption "What's Your Excuse?" Kang was criticized for seemingly shaming women about unhealthy choices.

In the interview, Kelly said, "When I was in law school, I was gaining weight. I said to my stepfather, ‘If you see me going into that kitchen one more time, you say, ‘Where you going, fat ass?’ And it works!”

Women on Twitter immediately blasted Kelly for her comments and shared how body-shaming did not give them positive and healthy results.

The next day, on January 12, Kelly responded to the backlash on her show. She said in part:

"I said something yesterday on the show that clearly struck a nerve, and I think it’s a conversation we need to have openly. We were discussing body-shaming others, something I absolutely do not support. In fact, quite the opposite.

Many women have told me that they’ve done similar things to control their propensity to overeat. I understand that. The pressure to be thin is ubiquitous in America, and those who are not can face heartbreaking cruelty. I do not endorse this reality, the truth is I loathe it.

As an adult, I’ve gotten healthier in my approach to eating, but I, like every woman I know, still wrestle with body image, and still cringe when I hear a person attacked for his or her weight. Please know, I would never encourage that toward any person."

Kelly interviews a Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist

In June 2017, Kelly was lambasted (opens in new tab) for her decision to interview Alex Jones on her short-lived newsmagazine show Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly. Jones, a conspiracy theorist, has made many defamatory remarks about the families of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Nelba Marquez-Greene, whose 6-year-old daughter, Ana Grace, was among the victims, said, "Any time you give someone like Alex Jones a platform, their followers will double-down or increase their attack on grieving families. You can't just put him in a box and say he's just a character. He's really hurting people." 

One of Jones's allegations was that "parents faked their children's deaths," according to Kelly in the clip above. The interview aired on Father's Day.

Kelly says Santa and Jesus are white

In an infamous December 2013 segment of The Kelly File, Kelly and her fellow Fox News commentators discussed a Slate op-ed titled "Santa Claus Should Not Be a White Man Anymore (opens in new tab)." In the clip, above, Kelly addressed any children watching her show, saying, "For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white." She then added, "Jesus was a white man, too. He's a historical figure that's a verifiable fact, as is Santa, I just want kids to know that."

In a 2017 Business Insider (opens in new tab) interview, Kelly seemed to take back her comments. "I regret a lot of what I've said," she said. "I mean you're going to be on the air several hours a week live television, you're going to say stupid s---. That's just the reality you know, so, yeah, there's a lot I'd like to go back and say differently."

Kelly argues with D.L. Hughley about police shootings

Kelly invited actor and activist D.L. Hughley to talk about race relations in America in a segment of The Kelly File in July 2016. In the clip, Kelly told her guest "Don't 'wow' me" when he was dismayed by her claims that Michael Brown was the alleged aggressor in his fatal police shooting. (opens in new tab)

"Don't tell me not to 'wow' you," Hughley responded, visibly upset. "I can say 'wow' if I want to." The discussion then continued to get heated as they disagreed about who was at fault in the shooting.

On Thursday, Hughley chimed in on Kelly's latest controversy on Twitter, writing, "She’s been clear about black faces all along."