Instagram/@megynkelly
Megyn Kelly probably made some big moves when she hired Hope Hicks, erstwhile press secretary for the Trump White House, as the very first COO of her independent media company. The announcement was shared as a video post to celebrate this moment of growth, but was quickly overshadowed with angry backlash because of Kelly’s contentious comments on Gaza.
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Smiling in the clip, Kelly says that Hicks will be joining her in the growth of the media empire through shows like MK True Crime, personalities like Emily Gisinski, and people like Mark Halperin himself. Kelly stressed that the parameter was kept clear, without corporate oversight or interference, calling Hicks “incredibly smart” and a needed “check against that leftward drift.” This was reiterated: “She’s not going to try to take it leftward as virtually every other executive in media would likely try to do.”
But a landslide of responses all over the hire started pouring in. A few dozen castigated Kelly for disputing the most believable Piers Morgan view of Palestinians actually setting up photographs posing starving children as propaganda material on his show-the best view there is. One said, “Imagine sitting there with hair extensions and false lashes and claiming that starving children are props. Girl, you ARE going to HELL!” Another commented, “When America is bombed to smithereens… just remember what you said about the thousands of children in Gaza.” The insults kept flowing: “disgusting piece of shit” and “soulless heartless POS” were just two of several invectives that razed the comment box.
On the contrary, the few who tried to put the Hicks news into somewhat of a light included a long-time fan who exclaimed, “Hope Hicks is outstanding—and gorgeous—just like you!” But the persistent clamoring for yet greater accountability only continued to grow. Some even demanded that Kelly herself go to Gaza, with one sarcastically offering to “pay your flight cost” if she goes to document what is happening there.
Nonetheless, the shocker about Gaza had hit the ground so hard that it stole the limelight from what Kelly intended as a proud business update. Not even the soggy basterd of a suggestion to “cut your hair a few inches” had a chance to rise above the international inferno. It was a huge disconnect: Hicks hiring was a feather in Kelly’s cap, while her own crowd saw it as yet another strike against her.
Hicks, by all means, nursing her face through every controversy, having got her stripes in the manic Trump White House. Perhaps the hire was a nice way to bolster Kelly’s conservative credentials, but it’s ensuring that Kelly-clamsher herself is becoming a bigger liability. Whether this winds down or scars permanently remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: there won’t be any victory laps in the comment section!
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Put forth merely as a banal career update, this post has instead turned into a referendum on Kelly’s divisive comments, with emotions running high and unlikely to cool outrage in the near future. For now, COO news is just a footnote in a giant, messy conversation.