Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly let loose again as she went after comments by former first lady Michelle Obama. The latter had recently spoken about race and how history remembers her time in the White House.
Obama shared her experience as part of the first Black family in the White House with comedian and TV host Conan O’Brien on her podcast, IMO. What followed led to Kelly finally blasting the remarks during her own show. The controversy was over whether Obama was only giving her listeners some context about racial scrutiny or revisiting grievances long after leaving Washington.
During the conversation, O’Brien recalled traveling with Obama to a U.S. military base in the Middle East more than a decade ago. He said everyone in Obama’s team was careful about following rules and avoiding any special treatment. His observation opened the door for Michelle to reflect on the pressures she felt during the presidency of her husband, Barack Obama.
She argued that the first Black family in the White House had to operate under a higher standard than others.
“It’s the truth (…) There’s absolutely no way that the behavior in this current administration would have been accepted.”
Many interpreted it as a jab at President Donald Trump, but Obama continued to describe the pressure she believed came with breaking racial barriers. “You don’t get here without being (…) near perfect,” she said. She also added that people in her position could not afford repeated failures or public mistakes during their eight years in the White House.
Michelle Obama will not be attending Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20th. pic.twitter.com/zhdVvC2Ac1
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) January 14, 2025
Kelly, however, argued that the conversation missed the focus on the troops they visited during that trip.
Reacting to the clip on her show alongside journalist Glenn Greenwald, Kelly told her viewers that the story was now effectively another reflection on Obama’s own struggles rather than the service members stationed overseas.
Kelly said:
“The normal instinct by most patriots is to make it about the guys and the gals who you saw at the military base. But both of them were determined to make it about her.”
Kelly then accused Obama of repeatedly framing her White House experience through racial grievance. “She is so small-minded. This is the only lens through which she sees her experience as first lady,” Kelly said. “There’s no gratitude (…) for the troops.”
At one point, Kelly was frustrated with what she sees as a recurring theme in Michelle Obama’s public remarks ever since she and her husband left office.”I’ve had it,” she said. “I am done listening to her whine.” Greenwald agreed that the conversation was framed in a way that invited Obama to revisit the same themes. He noted,
“The whole thing was set up by Conan being the good white progressive ally.”
Congratulations to my friend, @ConanOBrien, on an incredible run. Thank you for bringing light and laughter into our homes for over 28 years—we’re all a little better off because of it. So excited to see where your next chapter takes you. 🎉 pic.twitter.com/vLm9LrbGsv
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) June 26, 2021
Supporters of Obama often say her account helps us understand what they must have gone through as the first Black family in the White House. Critics say that two election victories mean they were clearly more accepted than they claim.
