The rivalry between Megyn Kelly and Mika Brzezinski continues to escalate, with Kelly taking direct aim at the Morning Joe co-host in a no-holds-barred critique of her journalistic integrity, feminist credentials, and even a decade-old Vanity Fair photoshoot. If this is a rivalry, it’s a decidedly lopsided one, with Kelly delivering sharp barbs and Brzezinski yet to mount much of a defense.
The latest round of hostilities began after Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough admitted to meeting President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, despite years of labeling him a fascist and a threat to democracy. The meeting, which Brzezinski framed as an attempt to reopen lines of communication, has been roundly mocked across the political spectrum. Megyn Kelly, however, has been particularly relentless.
Kelly blasted Brzezinski and Scarborough as “dishonest jokes of faux journalists,” dismissing their efforts to spin the meeting as a principled journalistic decision. In characteristically unfiltered fashion, Kelly advised the duo to “go f**k themselves,” suggesting their motives were more about salvaging sagging ratings than anything noble.
Megyn Kelly mocks Morning Joe’s Mika Brzezinski by laying down on her desk and pointing her leg in the air, recalling a 2012 Vanity Fair photo of Brzezinski and co-host/husband Joe Scarborough. pic.twitter.com/FdunMB9Wfh
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) November 22, 2024
Things turned personal when Kelly took aim at Brzezinski’s feminist persona, calling out a Vanity Fair photoshoot from 2012 where Brzezinski posed provocatively on a butcher block table, one leg dramatically kicked skyward. Kelly argued that Brzezinski’s public image as a champion of women’s rights clashes with such images, accusing her of being “full of s**t” when lecturing others about feminism and empowerment.
“She’s constantly lecturing us about women’s rights like she’s progressive,” Kelly said during an interview with Paul Murray on Sky News Australia. “Miss Champion, Miss Feminist… You’re full of s**t, and we all know it.”
Kelly, who herself participated in a racy GQ shoot in 2010, appeared to mimic Brzezinski’s Vanity Fair pose during her segment, adding fuel to the feud. Slate Magazine at the time criticized Brzezinski’s shoot, arguing that it reduced her to an ornament beside Scarborough’s “power pose.”
Megyn Kelly is imitating Morning Joe hosts Mika and Joe’s 2012 Vanity Fair photoshoot.
In 2012, Joe Scarborough had announced running against Obama and also announced a presidential run in 2016 🤣https://t.co/lfA94sMVtX
The mockery of Mika Brzezinski is a continuation of… https://t.co/EX7Rwg7Y5m pic.twitter.com/AkhucsZr2E
— Curious Gazelle (Pro-Weave) (@CuriousGazelle) November 22, 2024
Brzezinski and Scarborough have faced backlash not just from Kelly but from a broad political spectrum. CNN commentator Scott Jennings joked, “I did not expect Hitler to get so many meeting requests,” while Brian Stelter, typically more sympathetic to the pair, begrudgingly acknowledged their apparent self-aggrandizement.
Kelly, however, zeroes in on what she sees as the real reason behind the meeting: dwindling ratings. She claims Brzezinski and Scarborough “bent the knee” to Trump in an effort to regain relevance, a theory many critics find plausible given the post-election dip in viewership for Morning Joe.
While the personal attacks may strike some as excessive, Kelly’s fiery critiques and biting humor have kept the feud in the headlines. Her ability to frame Brzezinski’s moves as both hypocritical and desperate resonates with an audience skeptical of mainstream media figures.
