Former CNN anchor Don Lemon issued an expletive-filled rebuke of Megyn Kelly after the ex-Fox News anchor celebrated the end of Joy Reid’s MSNBC show.
On his YouTube show Monday, Lemon said Kelly was the worst person on NBC and called her a racist.
“Let me just say to Megan Kelly on my 30-some years as a journalist and my 50-some years as a person of color: Go f— yourself,” Lemon said, a reference to Kelly’s remarks toward MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski after the two visited President Trump at Mar-a-Lago shortly after his November victory.
Over the weekend, Kelly posted on X that Reid was the “absolute worst person on television.”
“Remember when Joy Reid laughingly mocked “white women tears” as pathetic and offensive to her? Who’s crying now, Joy?” Kelly posted, also blasting NBC for “letting it go on this long.”
Lemon fired back, calling Kelly, who hosted “Megyn Kelly Today” on NBC from 2017 to 2018, the worst person on television.
“The worst person on television was fired from NBC and the Today Show a few years ago and that’s Megyn Kelly,” he added. “That’s the worst person who’s not on television anymore. It’s you. So hoorah for that. NBC did something good with that.”
Kelly’s show Megyn Kelly Today was canceled in 2018 after she defended white people dressing in blackface for Halloween. Lemon referred to the segment as “evidence” that Kelly is racist.
“I was actually friendly with Megyn Kelly, and then, when people show you who they are, you better f—ing believe it, because we should’ve known,” Lemon said.
The Hill has reached out to Kelly for comment.
Reid’s evening news show, the ReidOut, aired its final episode on Monday. The cancellation is part of the network’s overhaul under the new presidential administration.
Reid previously anchored “The Reid Report” and “AM Joy” for the network. She is now leaving the network entirely while Symone Sanders Townsend, Michael Steele and Alicia Menendez, who currently host the network’s “The Weekend,” will switch to anchoring in Reid’s former 7 p.m. slot.
In a Townhall clip, Reid tearfully mourned the loss of her show.
“My show had value. What I was doing had value,” Reid said.
Kelly reposted the clip on X, writing, “Joy Reid has viciously mocked the tears of every white person she’s helped cancel over the years for some imaginary racial slight. She’s had zero empathy for anyone. Now she wants us to feel sorry for her. WE DON’T.”
Then, on her Monday episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly buckled down.
“Single tear, white woman tears happening right here, Joy,” Kelly said. “She was officially fired over the weekend because she’s a racist, horrible news anchor with no ratings.”
The end to Reid’s career with MSNBC drew a backlash from anchors on the network, including its biggest star, Rachel Maddow.
Maddow and Jen Pskai both opened their Monday MSNBC shows by praising Reid and her work.
Maddow criticized the changes at the network, accusing MSNBC of making a “mistake” in firing Reid and condemning the network’s lack of non-white anchors.
Political leaders also threw their support behind Reid.
Stacey Abrams, activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate, posted ways to support Reid on X. “We’ve got your back, Joy,” Abrams wrote.
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, posted that she was “heartbroken” Reid no longer had a platform “to educate, inform, and advocate.
“Joy is a true trailblazer and giant of journalism, and I can’t wait to see her succeed in her next chapter,” Clarke said.
