Inside Don Lemon & Megyn Kelly's Bitter Feud
Megyn Kelly, political commentator and media personality who once worked for Fox News and NBC, is no stranger to controversy. Over the years, Kelly's been a part of some one-sided feuds, including Kelly's attacks on CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins and her bad blood with Taylor Swift. But there have been some instances when those facing Kelly's wrath have fired back, like Don Lemon. Lemon's a former CNN anchor who now has his own YouTube show.
That show was going to be on X, formerly known as Twitter, but after a seeming disagreement with Elon Musk, it got moved to YouTube. His show was first announced in January 2024, and in an episode of the "Ruthless" podcast that same month, Kelly explained all the reasons that she wasn't excited for Lemon to return to the media landscape. Kelly was quick to lambast Lemon, saying that his own aggressive interview tactics led to X immediately leaving the anchor behind. But that wasn't all; she went on to say, "he hates America. He hates Republicans," via YouTube.
Don Lemon got fired up over Megyn Kelly's response to Joy Reid's show ending
In February 2025, things escalated between Megyn Kelly and Don Lemon. It started with Kelly celebrating the fact that Joy Reid's MSNBC show "The ReidOut" had been canceled. Kelly posted on X, "Remember when Joy Reid laughingly mocked 'white women tears' as pathetic and offensive to her? Who's crying now, Joy? Good riddance to the absolute worst person on television, and shame on NBC for letting it go on this long."
Lemon went on his YouTube channel to respond: "Let me just say this to Megyn Kelly. In my 30-some years as a journalist and my 50-some years as a person of color: Go f*** yourself, okay?" He also dragged some of some of Kelly's most dramatic controversies, like when she wore blackface when she dressed as Diana Ross for Halloween, and when she publicly criticized major public figures from Selena Gomez to Tom Hanks. He admitted that at one point he and Kelly had been friendly, but it seems like Kelly's permanently crossed the line.
Of course, Kelly didn't let Lemon's response go. On her show, she said that Lemon, "was too stupid to actually make it in the digital lane ... he's a sad, pathetic little man," via YouTube. Whether or not the verbal sparring continues or if Kelly has the last word, only time will tell. We have a feeling there's more to come.