Megyn Kelly
Journalist & talk show host
Megyn Kelly is an American journalist, talk show host, and former practicing attorney who became one of the most prominent figures in U.S. cable news during her years at Fox News. After leaving television, she built a large independent audience through her podcast and online program, becoming a leading voice in opinion-driven political and cultural commentary.
Early life
Megyn Marie Kelly was born on November 18, 1970, in Champaign, Illinois, and was raised in the Albany area of New York State. She earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Syracuse University and went on to receive a law degree from Albany Law School. Kelly practiced corporate law for several years at firms including Jones Day before deciding to change careers and pursue journalism, a shift she has described as a search for more fulfilling work.
Career
Kelly began her broadcasting career at a local station in Washington, D.C., before joining Fox News in 2004. Over the next decade she rose through the network, covering legal affairs and eventually anchoring her own primetime program, The Kelly File, which became one of cable news's highest-rated shows. She gained wider national attention as a moderator of Republican presidential primary debates during the 2016 election cycle, including a widely discussed exchange with candidate Donald Trump.
In 2017 Kelly left Fox News to join NBC, where she hosted a Sunday newsmagazine program and a daytime talk show, Megyn Kelly Today. Her time at NBC was relatively short, and she departed the network in 2018 after a period of friction and criticism over on-air remarks. The transition marked a turning point that led her away from traditional networks and toward independent media, where she could exercise greater editorial control.
Recent work
Since 2020 Kelly has hosted The Megyn Kelly Show, a daily program distributed as a podcast and on video platforms, later carried on SiriusXM satellite radio. The show features long-form interviews with politicians, journalists, and cultural figures, along with news analysis and commentary, and has attracted a substantial audience in the independent media landscape, ranking among the most listened-to news and politics podcasts. Kelly has used the platform to comment on politics, media, and cultural debates, positioning herself as a sharp interviewer outside the traditional network structure. She is also the author of the memoir Settle for More, published in 2016. Kelly is married to author Douglas Brunt, with whom she has three children.