Political podcaster Megyn Kelly suggested the Jane Doe in the Cornell University rape case “made a decision to get it on,” “enjoyed it,” and that “she’s not the most attractive gal.”
Kelly made these remarks during the Oct. 5 episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show.” She called her thoughts “the narrative that is likely to have occurred here, in my opinion.” She did not identify Jane Doe by name, nor did she provide any evidence credibly confirming the woman’s identity.
Last week, Snopes readers searched our site and sent us emails asking whether political podcaster and former Fox News host Megyn Kelly made remarks critical of the Jane Doe in the Cornell University rape case.
That Jane Doe, a former female Cornell student not identified by name in court documents or elsewhere to protect her identity, has accused seven current or former male Cornell students of sexually assaulting and raping her in an on-campus fraternity house between Oct. 19 and 20, 2024. Snopes has produced numerous reports examining claims regarding the case.
In this instance, one reader sent an image purportedly showing a text transcript of Kelly’s comments, asking, “Did Megyn Kelly say [this] on Oct. 5?” Another reader asked whether someone created video of the remarks with an artificial intelligence tool. The email read, in part:
I saw a horrific video of Megyn Kelly victim blaming Jane Doe who has accused seven Cornell University fraternity members of raping her. It was so offensive I was in disbelief that even Megan Kelly would stoop so low.
And it wasn’t just me, because others in the thread following the post also wondered if what we saw was real or AI.
The text transcript image, or quotes from it, also appeared on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X.
(@girlsreallyrule via X)
According to the transcript users shared, Kelly said she believes Jane Doe “made a decision to get it on” with four of the seven accused male students and “enjoyed it,” and made negative remarks about the alleged Jane Doe’s physical appearance.
In sum, Kelly authentically made these statements during Monday’s episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show.” SiriusXM and YouTube broadcast the show live. The relevant moments begin at around the 15-minute mark in this YouTube video.
During the episode, Kelly does not identify Jane Doe by name, nor does she provide any evidence credibly confirming the woman’s identity.
Snopes contacted Kelly’s Devil May Care Media company to ask if she wished to provide further comment, seeing as users were sharing her words and questioning whether she actually made the remarks. We will update this article if we receive further details.
More of what Kelly said
Just before the transcript shared on social media begins, Kelly says, “How is this progress? The absolute freak-out by all women. Not all of them are freaking out, but the ones who are, over this, accounts for zero agency for women whatsoever.”
The transcript begins immediately after that, with Kelly saying, “No one will even consider the possibility that this woman made a decision to get it on with four men total, not seven, and enjoyed it because, I’m just going to be honest, she’s not the most attractive gal.” She then criticizes the physical appearance of the woman she asserts is Jane Doe.
Kelly describes her thoughts as “the narrative that is likely to have occurred here, in my opinion.”
Her mention of “four men total, not seven” referenced reporting appearing to come from The New York Times, saying that only four of the accused men acknowledged having sexual contact with Jane Doe. The Times reported:
But in hours of interviews and a statement collected during Cornell’s administrative investigation over the winter of 2024, all the men denied any wrongdoing. Four acknowledged having sexual contact with the woman but said that their interactions had been consensual. The others denied participating in sexual encounters.
For further reading, we previously reported on whether U.S. President Donald Trump truly said he feels “badly” for the accused men in the Cornell case because they “won’t get a fair shake.”
