Megyn Kelly Brokers Peace Between Candace Owens and Erika Kirk Following Charlie Kirk's Death
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Megyn Kelly Brokers Peace Between Candace Owens and Erika Kirk Following Charlie Kirk's Death
Megyn Kelly addresses the growing rift in the conservative movement following Charlie Kirk's death, revealing her role in facilitating a private meeting between Erika Kirk and Candace Owens. Speaking at AmericaFest 2025, Kelly confronts Ben Shapiro's accusations, defends Tucker Carlson, and challenges what she calls the "bullying" tactics of pro-Israel activists dividing the movement. Kelly shares intimate details about Charlie Kirk's final months, his concerns about donor pressure, and makes a passionate case for why conservatives must prioritize America First principles over foreign policy litmus tests. The conversation highlights the ongoing struggle within the conservative movement over Israel, free speech, and who gets to decide what questions are acceptable to ask.
Speaking at AmericaFest 2025, Megyn Kelly reflected on the profound loss of Charlie Kirk three months after his death. Sitting down for a Q&A with Jack Posobiec, Kelly described the surreal nature of losing someone so suddenly, recalling a lunch just days before Kirk's murder when everything seemed normal. She emphasized how Kirk's death demonstrated that despite human ambitions and plans, God remains in control.
Kelly shared memories of first meeting Erika Kirk backstage at a Turning Point event years ago, describing her as "an angel sitting there in the middle of the chaos" while managing their infant daughter as Charlie worked the room. Seeing Erika alone backstage at this year's AmericaFest, Kelly noted the heartbreaking absence: "She shouldn't be alone. She should be with the love of her life."
The Case for Justice and the Death Penalty
The conversation turned to the upcoming trial and whether Christians can support capital punishment. Posobiec referenced Kelly's recent show where she wrestled with this question, explaining that the death penalty isn't about vengeance but about showing that the victim's life had worth and value. He described it as beginning to repay the debt incurred by every stolen moment from Erika, their daughter, their son, and every future milestone Charlie will miss.
Kelly agreed, noting the debt extends beyond the Kirk family to everyone who knew and loved Charlie. She expressed confidence that justice would be done and joked that in heaven, Charlie likely has a radio show from 9:00 to noon, followed by Rush Limbaugh's show from noon to 3:00, complete with a handoff between the two conservative icons.
The Growing Division Over Israel
When asked about division in the conservative movement, Kelly acknowledged a rift that began even before Kirk's death, centered on Israel. She described how both she and Charlie had been ardent Israel supporters who defended American Jewish people on college campuses and condemned the tearing down of hostage posters after October 7th. However, after a discussion at the Student Action Summit in July where they explored whether Jeffrey Epstein could have been an intelligence asset, both were called anti-Semites by some Jewish organizations, despite Benjamin Netanyahu later vindicating their position.
Kelly explained that Kirk worked daily with young Republicans and was seeing what she observed in her own sphere: the Republican Party's position on Israel was changing. While there was uniform support immediately after October 7th, as the war extended into its second year, people began questioning the level of U.S. involvement. Kelly and Kirk both resisted pressure to censor or publicly attack those expressing doubts about Israel policy.
"We're not the policemen of the conservative movement," Kelly stated. "I'm not. He wasn't. Ben Shapiro isn't either."
Responding to Ben Shapiro's Accusations
Kelly addressed Ben Shapiro's speech from the previous night at AmericaFest, where he called her a "despicable coward" for not calling out people he deemed necessary to condemn. She found it "kind of funny" that Shapiro believed he had the power to decide who gets excommunicated from the conservative movement, comparing it to a middle school chorus leader threatening to take away friends.
Kelly noted the contradiction in Shapiro calling her a "friend" right before attacking her, saying he wants to simultaneously parent her by dictating what she must say and to whom, while also wanting her to be his protector. "I am not their daddy," she declared. "And I resent that he thinks he's in a position to decide who must say what to whom and when."
Recalling her history with Shapiro, Kelly pointed out that she helped make him a star by putting him on her Fox News Channel shows when few knew who he was. She had recently given him a generous 10-minute introduction at her tour, personally vouching for him as he was losing subscribers. They debated Tucker Carlson's place in the conservative movement on stage, hugged afterward, and exchanged friendly texts days later. The next thing she saw was his attack calling her a coward.
"So that's not friendship," Kelly concluded.
Challenging Bari Weiss on Erika Kirk
Kelly also responded to Bari Weiss, the new head of CBS News, who appeared to co-sign Shapiro's criticism. Kelly pointed out that Weiss barely knows Erika Kirk and has never attended a Turning Point event or defended Charlie Kirk when he was alive and being called a racist or anti-Semite.
What Kelly did remember was Weiss hosting a town hall where she brought on Hunter Kozak, the man who asked the final question of Charlie Kirk right before he was shot, and had the "nerve" to put Erika in the position of having to defend whether Trump uses hateful rhetoric. Posobiec noted that Kozak never once offered the basic human decency of saying "I'm sorry for your loss" to Erika.
Kelly stated that as someone who has done many town halls, the host knows who the questioners are and what questions are coming in advance. "She knew it was coming and she thought it was appropriate to have Charlie's widow answer for Trump's violent rhetoric. I'm sorry, that's disrespectful and I will not be taking any lessons from Bari Weiss in how to treat Erika or anyone else."
Brokering Peace Between Candace Owens and Erika Kirk
Kelly revealed her role in facilitating a private meeting between Candace Owens and Erika Kirk, a story Erika gave her permission to share. From the beginning of Owens' programming about Charlie Kirk's death, Kelly had been in long conversations with Turning Point leadership about how to handle the situation. Initially, everyone agreed the best approach was to rise above it and not respond in a tit-for-tat manner, but as Owens' commentary continued, it became increasingly problematic.
Erika called Kelly and said she wanted to do a sit-down with Owens, with Kelly moderating. Kelly's first response was to suggest that perhaps a text or email from Erika might silence Owens on the subject, but Erika wanted a face-to-face meeting. Kelly thought Owens might actually accept because "an invitation from Erika would be hard to resist."
Both women originally wanted to livestream the discussion, scheduled for the same Monday that Turning Point was planning their own livestream event. Kelly described feeling this was "divine right order," having prayed many times to both Charlie and God for guidance on handling the fractures in the conservative movement.
Kelly expressed empathy for Owens' position, noting that Shapiro mocked her for pointing out that Owens had literally just had a baby when her friend was shot in the neck. "That is a vulnerable position for a woman," Kelly said, explaining she gave Owens a wide berth to explore what she needed to explore, though Kelly didn't agree with what was said about Turning Point or Erika.
The meeting ultimately took place in Nashville instead of Arizona due to security concerns, with Erika agreeing to travel despite her exhaustion from honoring Charlie's book tour commitments while being a single mother to two young children. Both women brought trusted confidants, and by all accounts from both sides, they had a very good meeting. The livestream idea was dropped in favor of a private conversation.
"Will it last? Where does it go from here?" Kelly wondered, joking about whether the Gaza peace deal or this situation was more tenuous. Her hope is that Owens will move on from discussing Turning Point and Erika, though Kelly has no problem with her asking questions, just "not about them."
Defending the Right to Ask Questions About Israel
Kelly objected to people trying to shut down Owens entirely from inquiring into what role, if any, Israel might have had in Kirk's death. She made clear she doesn't think Israel had any role and believes Tyler Robinson killed Charlie, with her only question being whether there was some Antifa element that helped him.
"However, it's okay to ask questions about Israel," Kelly stated.
She revealed that it was Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of the Charlie Kirk Show, who sent private messages to the FBI from a group chat where Charlie said Jewish donors to Turning Point were "driving him up the wall," that he'd "had it with them," they were making demands he wasn't prepared to meet, he was at his wit's end, and he personally told Kelly he found their behavior "repulsive."
"I don't think Israel had anything to do with it," Kelly reiterated. "But why did I have an obligation to stop Candace from asking those questions? I didn't and I didn't call her out because I favored her asking them."
America First as the Unifying Principle
When asked about the way forward for the conservative movement and Turning Point, Kelly emphasized that conservatives are "far more united than we are divided." She directed her final comments toward pro-Israel activists, distinguishing them from "regular Jewish Americans who are lovely and don't run around trying to tell you what you can and cannot say."
"I think they need to stop being such ardent bullies because it's dividing our movement unnecessarily over a country that is not ours, over Israel, not America," Kelly said. "We need to care about America. America First is the principle that will get us through."
She concluded by reminding the audience that the true enemy isn't within the conservative movement but rather "the crazy radical leftists" who are "literally killing us." The focus, Kelly argued, must remain on those who pose the actual threat rather than fighting among themselves.
A Message of Gratitude
Posobiec closed the conversation by sharing a personal story from his time serving in Navy intelligence about a decade ago during the Obama administration. He revealed that he and his fellow service members would watch The Kelly File every day in their office, and she became a source of support during a time when they felt isolated and blamed for political decisions beyond their control during the Benghazi era and drone strike controversies.
Posobiec admitted to an office pool where military personnel would guess which color Kelly would wear each day on Fox News, with his guess always being Kelly green for Megyn Kelly. Kelly explained that Roger Ailes didn't allow orange but encouraged bright colors like neon pink, red, and yellow because someone channel surfing would see the bright color and blonde hair and stop to listen, a formula that helped Fox News become number one within a few years of launch.
Kelly thanked Posobiec and emphasized that the gratitude goes the other way, from civilians to the military. Posobiec concluded by stating his allegiance clearly: "I'm on America's side. I'm on Turning Point's side and I'm on Charlie's side."
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