Megyn Kelly Gushes Over ‘Very Smart’ Nick Fuentes: ‘Excuse His Thoughts on Race’

SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly applauded Nick Fuentes during a new interview with Tucker Carlson in which she called the open white nationalist “very smart.”

Kelly has been criticized by many pro-Israel conservatives for entertaining anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, as well as continuing to promote Carlson and Candace Owens. During her latest conversation with Carlson, she recalled how pro-Israel advocates had criticized her first for suggesting — admittedly without evidence — that Jeffrey Epstein had been working for Israel, and then for arguing Israel ought to “wrap up” its war with Hamas.

Then she brought up Carlson’s chummy interview with Fuentes last fall.

“And then came the, ‘Tucker’s interviewed Nick and you must disavow him. Now you really need to break up with Tucker.’ As if my entire career rises or falls based on who my friends are, and whose interview I decide to weigh in on. Well, it’s ridiculous,” said Kelly. “So first of all, I had no problem with the fact that you interviewed Nick Fuentes and you did it your way. And I happen to know, because I know you and I know some other things about that interview, that you did it with a pure heart. It wasn’t because you were in love with all of Nick Fuentes’s messages at all. But I know you and I understood this is-, you don’t have to confirm or deny, but I thought you were very much trying to reach him with your main message that you say all the time, which is in the-, in the conservative sphere, on the right, we don’t judge people by identity. We don’t, you didn’t say it this way, but we don’t-, we’re not big on the n-word and the other words that he’s been calling people like Usha Vance, or even thinking about people that way because that’s what crazy leftists do with identity.”

“It’s anti-Christian, too, I hate that,” chimed in Carlson.

“As Christians do!” agreed Kelly before continuing:

OK, so you tried. It didn’t really work, but you tried and I know your heart was in the right place, and it was a worthwhile exercise because he’s a very interesting guy. Let’s face it. He’s obviously got some very extreme views, but he’s very interesting, and he’s very smart, and on a lot of things, there is value to be derived from that guy’s messaging. I’m sorry, but he actually has a lot of things he talks about that you’re like, “Huh, this is not a bad point about our country.” Excuse his thoughts on race, and Jews, and the Holocaust, and all that. Obviously, OK. So, I was fine with your interview with Nick Fuentes, I need to be excommunicated. And then came Candace Owens and that-, she really drives people crazy. She drives them crazy! They were very angry that I didn’t call her out for what she said about Israel possibly being involved with Charlie Kirk. Well, I didn’t call her out because I was totally fine with those questions being raised and still am! I like-, I’m sorry, but I am! I’m sick of this bullsh*t. I am allowed to have questions about what if anyone aligned with Israel or from Israel might have had to do with Charlie’s death. I think it was Tyler Robinson. I think he acted either alone or with Transtifa. I don’t know. I got an open heart to he was manipulated by somebody. I do. So, I’m fine with those questions and I’m sorry for people who don’t want them asked.

Fuentes has a long rap sheet of hateful commentary that includes both Holocaust denial and praise for Adolf Hitler, as well as countless more racist and sexist comments. Even he has excoriated Owens for her attempt to pin the murder of Kirk on Israel.

In a post to X on Thursday, Kelly slammed critics who called out her commentary — noting her past criticism of Fuentes and that she was not specifically not praising Fuentes’s comments on Jews and race.

Watch above via Tucker Carlson on YouTube.