Megyn Kelly

Kelly announces on her programme that she no longer wants to use the terms "trans" or "transgender", arguing that people cannot change gender and that she will instead refer to them as "gender confused". She also associates transgender identity with mental illness.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

After Sandra Bullock explains that she is particularly concerned for the safety of her black children, Kelly strongly mocks her and links such statements by "woke white liberals" to reduced policing policies she regards as responsible for increased insecurity.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Kelly relays what she says she heard from a source concerning Epstein, challenging the simplistic use of the word "paedophile" and referring to his alleged attraction to teenage girls aged around 15. The wording triggers strong reactions, notably from survivors who accuse her of minimising the sexual exploitation of minors.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Kelly asks on air what is racist about a white person darkening their face as part of a Halloween costume if the character is depicted that way. Following a massive reaction, she apologises to colleagues and the public. NBC subsequently cancels her programme and her contractual relationship with the network ends.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Personally implicated

Kelly questions Jane Fonda about cosmetic surgery during a promotional interview. Fonda expresses irritation and continues to criticise the question in other media. Kelly publicly responds by defending its relevance and invoking Fonda's historical Vietnam controversy in a highly confrontational manner.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

NBC and Kelly face strong criticism for giving a high-profile interview to Alex Jones, known notably for spreading falsehoods about the Sandy Hook shooting. Sandy Hook Promise withdraws Kelly from a gala, and some advertisers ask that their advertisements not run around the programme.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

At the launch of Megyn Kelly Today, Kelly jokes with a Will & Grace fan by asking whether the series "made him gay". Debra Messing publicly says she regrets appearing on the programme and is dismayed by the remark.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

At the first Republican debate of 2015, Kelly questions Donald Trump about insults he had directed at women. Trump subsequently launches repeated attacks against her, and the dispute becomes a major episode of the campaign.

State of the evidence

Documented

On The Kelly File, Kelly claims that a new Colorado law literally allows residents to print their ballots at home and then hand them to "collectors". PolitiFact establishes that ordinary voters receive ballots by post and rates the claim False.

Attribution

Personally implicated

Responding to a column proposing a less exclusively white depiction of Santa Claus, Kelly declares on air that Santa Claus is white and also asserts that Jesus was white. The episode triggers major controversy over race, history and representation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Commenting on the pepper spray used against Occupy UC Davis protesters, Kelly describes the substance as "essentially" derived from a food product. The phrase is widely mocked and interpreted as minimising the violence of the police action.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated