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Megyn Kelly criticized Beyoncé for incorporating blurred footage of her Sky News Australia interview into the Cowboy Carter tour visuals during her May 30 SiriusXM show. The clip featured Kelly’s 2023 remarks mocking Beyoncé’s country album rollout as portraying the singer "like Jesus incarnated... here to rescue country music." The political commentator stated:
"It recently came to my attention that Beyoncé, who is on some world tour right now, reinventing herself as a country star, is running videotape during the show of yours truly."
Kelly contested the inclusion, asserting Beyoncé sought to "play the victim" despite her privileged status:
"Here is another one of the most privileged, beloved women in the world, but still has to look for the one sliver where she could play the victim."
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She dismissed her original criticism as "completely milquetoast" and emphasized that apparently one is not allowed to "rip on her." Kelly said that the more untouchable someone is, the more likely she will "want to hit them." The commentator compared the situation to actor George Clooney’s recent questioning of her journalism credentials.
During an April 2025 Variety interview, George Clooney spoke to fellow star Patti LuPone and stated he wasn't sure what Kelly had done to be a journalist. Referring to Clooney's statement, Kelly also said:
"He's George f---ing Clooney. She's Beyoncé, but they can't take the mildest criticism because in their world, they never receive any."
Behind Beyoncé’s visual selection and Megyn Kelly's accusations
The disputed visuals present a collage of media critiques during Beyoncé’s performances, with Kelly’s segment intentionally blurred yet identifiable by her vocal cadence and phrasing.
Megyn Kelly clarified that the clip originated from her Sky News Australia interview, where she challenged the album’s marketing narrative. Her SiriusXM remarks emphasized Beyoncé’s industry stature, while arguing that the singer amplified minor criticism for dramatic effect:
"She is considered untouchable... richest based on her own fortune."
Beyoncé’s tour, which began April 28 and concludes in July, features a montage of critical media clips. The singer won the 2025 Grammy for Best Country Album, making her the first Black woman to do so.
The singer has publicly addressed feeling unwelcome in the genre despite her Texas roots. In an Instagram post published last year by the singer in March, she captioned her post saying:
"It (the album) was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive."
The tour’s visual choice aligns with Beyoncé’s broader themes of overcoming exclusion in country music, highlighted by her Grammy milestone.
Montages featuring press critiques are recurrent in Beyoncé’s tours, though this marks the first time Megyn Kelly has been included. The Cowboy Carter visuals juxtapose critical soundbites against live performance footage, underscoring the album’s exploration of artistic resilience.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour continues through July 26. Her representatives haven’t publicly addressed Megyn Kelly’s statements.
