FFormer Fox News host and current media personality Megyn Kelly has hit back at Megan Rapinoe after the former women’s soccer player’s scathing criticism of the men’s Olympic hockey team, warning Rapinoe that her unabashed comments could leave her with a “bad” reputation if she continues.
The spat stems from comments Rapinoe made this week on the podcast “A Touch More,” which she co-hosts with former WNBA star Sue Bird, about a viral phone call between President Donald Trump and the U.S. men’s hockey team after winning the 2026 Olympic gold medal in Milan-Cortina.
Rapinoe’s criticism went beyond the president’s words. She focused on how the players reacted to that moment, specifically their reactions to what she saw as derogatory jokes about the women’s hockey team.
In her remarks, Rapinoe openly expressed her disappointment. “The U.S. men’s hockey team, in their moment of glory… ruined it for themselves because they were completely consumed by clowns,” she said, adding matter-of-factly, “And now you’re a clown. You look like a clown.”
She also questioned why the men’s team laughed at a joke that downplayed the women’s parallel performance, suggesting the moment might have been used by the president for his own purposes.
Mr. Kelly joins the discussion
Kelly, who made her name as a journalist on Fox News Channel and has since hosted a nationally syndicated talk show and podcast, seized on Rapinoe’s comments in her own public response.
“Megan Rapinoe is jealous of all the attention USA men’s hockey team is getting, but she’s not. Enjoy your bittersweet life,” Kelly wrote in a social media post.
Kelly’s rebuke frames Rapinoe’s criticism not just as a disagreement over sportsmanship or political symbolism, but as a personal indignation.
This is an unusual moment of public confrontation between two celebrities whose prominence in American sports and media often intersects with broader cultural debates.
A former lawyer turned news anchor and commentator, Kelly is known for his incisive interviews and often controversial interpretations of current events, and maintains a significant platform through his podcast and online presence.
Meanwhile, Rapinoe is one of the most decorated U.S. women’s soccer players of all time, a World Cup winner, and an Olympic medalist, and outspokenness on social and political issues has long defined her public persona.
The two sides have long blended sports commentary with broader cultural critique, but this clash highlights how vastly different their interpretations of recent Olympic events are.
Rapinoe’s remarks came after Trump made a phone call to the men’s hockey team in the locker room, during which she joked that she would also invite the women’s gold medalists to the State of the Union address.
Several players reportedly laughed at the joke, and the men’s team attended the speech afterward, but the U.S. women’s hockey team declined the invitation, citing prior commitments.
Instead, they will join other women’s medalists from the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and 2026 Winter Paralympic Games to celebrate their victory at a weekend gala hosted by rapper Flavor Fluff in Las Vegas from July 16 to 19.
