Megyn Kelly is erupted after actor George Clooney took a swipe at her journalism credentials, claiming he may be more of a journalist than she is. In a pointed exchange that blends celebrity ego with political drama, the two public figures clashed over truth-telling, journalism, and their respective roles in shaping public discourse.
The feud reached a feverpitch during Clooney’s Variety interview with Broadway icon Patti LuPone, part of the outlet’s Broadway Actors on Actors series. Clooney, who is currently starring in a Broadway adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck as famed journalist Edward R. Murrow, downplayed Kelly’s criticism of his self-perception as a journalist.
“You see Megyn Kelly, who’s come out and said I’m not a journalist. I didn’t say I was a journalist,” Clooney remarked. LuPone interjected, “Neither is she.” Clooney continued, “I’ve at least been to Darfur and Sudan and the Congo and been shot at to try to get stories out. I’m not quite sure what she’s done to be a journalist.”
Kelly, a former Fox News anchor and NBC host, responded with a scathing monologue on The Megyn Kelly Show. She mocked Clooney’s apparent self-importance and criticized his infamous op-ed urging President Joe Biden to step down from the 2024 race — a plea that came only after Biden’s disastrous debate against Donald Trump.
“He fancies himself a journalist, you see,” Kelly quipped. “But he sat on what he called the biggest story of the decade — that the sitting president of the United States was mentally unfit — and said nothing until it was politically convenient.”
“That’s not journalism, George — it’s cowardice and naked partisanship,” she continued. “You’re not fooling anyone.”
Clooney, meanwhile, is still facing backlash from Democrats after Trump’s sweeping electoral victory over Kamala Harris. Critics have blamed the actor for weakening party unity by urging Biden to bow out. According to reports, Clooney has privately expressed frustration at being used as a scapegoat.
Defending his controversial op-ed during a recent CNN interview with Jake Tapper, Clooney said his motive was rooted in “civic duty,” not political sabotage. “When I saw people on my side of the street not telling the truth, I thought that was time,” he said.
Clooney has publicly acknowledged that some in the party remain “mad” at him for calling on Biden to step down, especially after Harris went on to lose both the Electoral College and popular vote to Trump — a historic loss for Democrats.
Clooney wrapped up his defense by invoking the First Amendment: “You can’t demand freedom of speech and then say, but don’t say bad things about me… Take a stance, stand for it, and then deal with the consequences.”
READ NEXT: George Clooney Defends Call For Biden To Step Aside: ‘It Was A Civic Duty’
