"It was amazing": Megyn Kelly reacts to Piers Morgan's viral interaction with transgender journalist Laurie Penny

Megyn Kelly weighed in on Piers Morgan’s viral exchange with transgender journalist Laurie Penny. On the September 10, 2025, episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly played a clip from the September 5, episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, where Morgan had asked Penny what the term “non-binary” meant, sparking a tense back-and-forth.

After playing the clip, Kelly explained that Morgan’s question had been straightforward and reasonable, but Penny, who herself identified as non-binary, appeared unwilling to provide a clear definition. Reflecting on the exchange, Kelly praised Morgan’s persistence in pressing for an answer.

“It was amazing. It went on. Piers was so good. Like just ‘what is it? What is it?’ I really doubt that this person even knows what it is because why was she so reluctant to define it?” Megyn Kelly remarked.

Screenshot of the September 10, 2025, episode of The Megyn Kelly Show (Image via Youtube/ MegynKelly)

Kelly further emphasized that Morgan’s request had been simple. He merely wanted Penny to clarify what the identity entailed.

“What does it mean? You’ve adopted it. You’re living your whole life by it. You say it’s your identity. Please explain it to me,” Megyn Kelly added.

According to Kelly, Penny’s refusal to define the term showed “absolute reluctance” and suggested a lack of understanding. She further added that Penny was “too dumb to understand” the meaning, claiming that her avoidance only made it more “obvious.”

Megyn Kelly also suggested that while some people might be able to explain the term “non-binary” clearly, Penny was not one of them. In her view, Penny had “glommed on to some exciting exotic term of the day to sound more interesting” than she really was.

The Megyn Kelly Show host also criticized Penny for deflecting the discussion by accusing Morgan of being “offensive”, even though all Piers Morgan had asked her was to explain the term she identified as.

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Megyn Kelly plays clip of Piers Morgan’s exchange with Laurie Penny on gender identity

Piers Morgan (Image via Getty Images)

During the aforementioned episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, host Megyn Kelly played a short portion from the September 5, 2025, installment of Piers Morgan Uncensored.

In this portion of Piers Morgan’s podcast episode, Morgan was joined by Riley Gaines, Blaire White, Helen Webberley, Laurie Penny, and Lionel Shriver for a panel discussion on free speech and the controversy surrounding tweets that had led to Graham Linehan’s arrest.

In the clip that Megyn Kelly played, Piers Morgan could be seen arguing that Linehan was “cracking a rather crass joke” rather than “inciting a crime.” He then asked Blaire White, who was born male but had transitioned, to share her perspective. At that point, Laurie Penny, who was born female but identified as non-binary, interjected and stated that they were “also transgender.”

This prompted Morgan to ask Penny directly:

“Which trans are you if you don’t mind me asking?”

When Penny replied that they were “non-binary,” the discussion turned into a prolonged exchange between Morgan and Penny over gender identity and pronoun usage.

Piers Morgan then pressed Laurie Penny further, asking what “non-binary” meant and what their pronouns were. When Penny answered “they, them,” Morgan questioned the grammatical logic, remarking that there was only one person sitting in front of him.

Penny countered by explaining:

“Actually they/ them has been the collective they has been used to refer to individual people for centuries and still is. So um I mean if you don’t understand basic grammar that’s on you.”

Portraits of Laurie Penny (Image via Getty Images)

Morgan, however, admitted that he did not really understand what non-binary meant or why individuals would use “a plural pronoun to describe a singular person.” He added that the “problem” with the “whole woke thing” was that it was “inexplicable” because nobody really knew “what it means.” Morgan further remarked that Laurie Penny even looked like a “female” to him.

He then asked Penny directly if she was a female. But Penny refused to give a straightforward answer, and instead told Morgan:

“If you don’t understand what non-binary means, then I’m not sure you’re in a position to lead a debate.”

After this Morgan reiterated his question, making Penny then explain that to them, their “gender identity” was “something other than man or woman,” and that they were a “non-binary individual.”

Morgan pressed again, asking why Penny, while identifying as non-binary, would still accept being classified as female.

Penny dismissed the question as inappropriate, saying their role on the panel was not to discuss the “contents” of their “underpants."

“You raised this whole thing. I didn’t mention anything about what you were. You did. You said, ‘I’m trans,’” Piers Morgan said in response.

After this Penny remarked that the exchange had become “uncomfortably personal,” for her but Morgan replied that Penny had only themselves to blame.

At that point, fellow panelist Riley Gaines added her perspective, remarking that what Penny called “uncomfortably personal” was nothing compared to what transgender women felt while trying to undress in a locker room with “a 6-foot-4 naked man.”

Although there were further discussions on the same, Megyn Kelly only played this selected portion of the clip on her show, and followed up with her own commentary on Piers Morgan’s exchange with Laurie Penny.

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Megyn Kelly currently hosts The Megyn Kelly Show, a daily talk show and podcast airing on SiriusXM’s Triumph channel and YouTube. She also has over 3.6 million subscribers on YouTube.

Piers Morgan, continues to host his own program, Piers Morgan Uncensored, which streams on YouTube.