Fox News Enigma Megyn Kelly Slams Rand Paul's Sexist Behavior

And so continues one of the most confusing relationships of my adult life: that between myself and Fox News’ Megyn Kelly. Once again Kelly brought out her “sensible adult” side during an interview with Rand Paul, taking him (as well as other male journalists) to task for sexism.

You’ll recall Rand Paul’s dickhead interview with Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday, where he tried to explain to her in the middle of an interview how exactly to conduct an interview. Later that day, Business Insider pointed us to Paul’s appearance on Megyn Kelly’s show—in which she promptly took him to task for his petulant behavior towards female reporters. You can watch the video here. (She starts in at around 6:08.)

Paul tries to blame his behavior on the general contentious nature of television interviews, referencing talking heads and reporters yelling at each other for eight minute segments, but Kelly isn’t having any of that spin.

“Those women were not yelling at you,” she says calmly, to which Paul replies: “Well I wasn’t yelling at them either.” Good one, dude.

Kelly goes on to argue that, “Savannah Guthrie is not exactly known, you know, for her aggressive unfairness,” which is at once both excellent shade thrown at Guthrie and a great argument against Paul’s treatment of her. As Paul tries to talk over her, which is the official handshake of MRA’s around the globe, Kelly keeps talking over him until he finally shuts up.

If that wasn’t enough, she then asks Rand Paul: “Did you get overly emotional?” which is brilliant when you consider how often that same barb is thrown at women.

Later, Kelly calls out male reporters, including Chuck Todd, who argue that Paul should be more polite to female reporters because they’re female reporters, and that dealing with the ladies requires a delicate hand.

“Savannah Guthrie doesn’t need your help,” Kelly said. “Kelly Evans doesn’t need your help. And you are entitled to push back on the interviewer just as much as you would if it were a man. So these male commentators can butt out. We can give as good as we can get.

DAMN YOU MEGYN KELLY AND YOUR CHOICE BOUTS OF LOGIC.

Megyn Kelly reminds me very much of this scene from The Boondocks back when The Boondocks was good, about Ann Coulter’s secret life as a “down-ass bitch.”

I feel like Megyn Kelly is deliberately fiddling with my heartstrings because despite the mountains of stupid bullshit she spouts—she’s got to keep people entertained on camera, after all, and sell the whole act—she does have her moments where the storm clouds part and she says something smart and fair. Granted, she’s usually coming to the defense of well-off white women, but I’ll take it. I generally don’t like giving people cookies for doing the bare minimum or shit they’re just supposed to be doing as a decent human being, but this is Fox News after all, and I’ve adjusted my standards.

Perhaps what we’re seeing, as my colleague Erin Gloria Ryan brought up earlier today, is that Megyn Kelly’s success has allowed her to be less of a stringent blowhard for inane, conservative talking points. She is climbing her way up the Fox News mountain, and maybe now is allowing herself to show some nuance in her reporting because she’s not fighting for airtime.

I may never get to the bottom of the enigma that is Megyn Kelly, but dammit if she doesn’t make me want to watch.