Megyn Kelly Reveals Celebrity Conflicts and Unexpected Kindness
Megyn Kelly isn’t shying away from discussing the celebrities who left a negative impression on her.
In an interview with the Daily Mail published on Tuesday, December 30, Kelly, 55, revealed that Jane Fonda was the first person who “came to mind” when talking about stars she had difficult interactions with.
Kelly spoke with Fonda, now 88, in 2017 while working on Today. Kelly remembered Fonda criticizing her for a question about cosmetic surgery, but the news personality claimed she brought up that topic to redirect Fonda away from a conversation about her intimate scenes with the late Robert Redford in their film Our Souls at Night.
“What occurred during that segment, Robert Redford was present, and his publicist approached me and said, ‘For the love of God, don’t mention their love scenes,’” Kelly claimed.
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Kelly alleged that Redford’s representative told her that the actor was “uncomfortable” with the subject and asked her to “guide” Fonda in a different direction. Kelly claimed she followed the request, which seemed to upset Fonda.
“She was offended that I wasn’t guiding her there,” Kelly alleged. “She really wanted to discuss their love scenes.”
Kelly also claimed that Bruce Willis was distant toward her during a 2006 Fox News interview.
“He appeared on and was clearly unhappy to be there,” she claimed of the Die Hard actor. “I mean, that’s acceptable, he has his political views, but why agree to participate?”
Kelly alleged that Willis, 70, was “so unforthcoming” and “so ungenerous.” While the interaction wasn’t positive from Kelly’s perspective, she admitted she felt bad sharing her experience given Willis’ ongoing battle with dementia.
“And I hate to admit it because of his current struggles. But he was just unpleasant,” she said.
Kelly also hinted at some tension with Today show icon Al Roker.
“Let’s just say, if my mother encountered Al Roker, she would quickly transform into Larry David confronting Alan Dershowitz at Martha’s Vineyard,” she said, referencing an alleged disagreement between the pair.
Kelly did not elaborate on the drama with Roker, 71.
While Kelly named several stars she had negative interactions with, she did share which celebrities have been kind to her over the years.
Milo [Yiannopoulos] [is a] total charmer,” Kelly said, adding that the former Breitbart editor is “just as pleasant as he is on camera.”
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Kelly added that she was also “very impressed” by Russell Brand, who was “completely warm” when they met. Jada Pinkett Smith, meanwhile, was “so sweet, so sincere, [and] so genuine” when Kelly interviewed her in 2018.
“I’m still her admirer,” Kelly said of Pinkett Smith, 54.
Kelly also spoke highly of her former NBC colleague Kathie Lee Gifford, as she “was kind to me during what was one of the most difficult years of my life.”
“When people on the Today show weren’t welcoming me warmly, treating me like the unwelcome relative of NBC, she took me out,” Kelly recalled of Gifford, 72. “She met my family.”
