Two prominent conservative media figures who once dominated Fox News airwaves are now locked in an increasingly bitter public feud that has exposed deepening fractures within the MAGA movement.
Megyn Kelly and Mark Levin, both veterans of the conservative cable news network, have been feuding since a Turning Point USA convention in mid-December, when tensions within right-wing media circles erupted into open warfare. The clash has grown increasingly personal, with the former colleagues trading harsh insults on social media as their ideological differences became impossible to ignore.
The conflict escalated sharply recently when Levin launched a scathing attack on his former Fox News colleague. “Meg Kelly, whose ratings were so bad on NBC she became a laughingstock, was canned for promoting blackface on Halloween,” Levin wrote, referencing Kelly’s departure from NBC Today show in 2018. “You see, she was always a degenerate bigot.”
Kelly fired back swiftly, dismissing Levin’s attacks as the rantings of an irrelevant has-been. “You’re an old, irrelevant, bitter, angry man who could never make it in the Fox News primetime,” she responded. “We used to laugh at you there for your red-faced tantrums over… everything.”
The bitter exchange represents the latest manifestation of a conservative civil war that burst into public view at the Turning Point USA convention. Ben Shapiro’s keynote speech attacking right-wing conspiracists triggered the initial confrontation, with Kelly aligning herself with Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and Jack Posobiec in the aftermath.
Shapiro had taken aim at what he called “grifters” within the conservative movement during his address. Kelly drew criticism from former allies who accused her of sacrificing credibility for online engagement. The debate quickly moved beyond tactical disagreements to personal attacks that have divided longtime colleagues.
Kelly has built a substantial media empire since leaving traditional broadcast television. She launched MK Media podcast network, featuring programs hosted by journalist Mark Halperin, culture columnist Maureen Callahan and influencer Link Lauren. She also signed a new multiyear deal with SiriusXM that includes her own dedicated channel.
The former Fox News primetime anchor has additionally expanded her business operations with strategic hires. Hope Hicks joined Devil May Care Media as COO, bringing White House and corporate communications experience to Kelly’s growing independent media company.
Kelly’s post-NBC career has flourished in ways that contrasted sharply with Levin’s characterization of her as a “laughingstock.” She successfully rebuilt her platform through podcasting and digital media, capitalizing on the shift away from traditional cable news toward independent content creators.
Meanwhile, other prominent media figures have faced their own career upheavals. Don Lemon was fired from his network, while Joy Reid departed her cable news position as networks restructured their operations amid changing viewership patterns and political pressures.
At Fox News headquarters, where both Kelly and Levin once worked as colleagues, the network’s current on-air personalities have maintained a conspicuous silence about the public feud. No Fox News host other than Levin has addressed the increasingly ugly confrontation between the former network stars, suggesting a deliberate decision to avoid involvement in the internal conservative warfare.
The clash between Kelly and Levin reflects broader tensions within conservative media about the movement’s direction and acceptable boundaries of political discourse. Questions about conspiracy theories, ideological purity and personal conduct have fractured relationships that seemed unbreakable during the height of the Trump administration’s first term.
The feud also highlights how conservative media has evolved since 2021 and 2023, with personalities increasingly building independent platforms rather than relying on traditional cable news networks. This shift has created new power dynamics and rivalries as former colleagues compete for audience attention and influence in a fragmented media landscape.
Kelly’s success in building her own media company represents a template that other conservative personalities have attempted to follow with varying degrees of success. Her ability to maintain audience loyalty while operating independently of major networks has challenged traditional assumptions about the necessity of institutional backing in political media.
The personal nature of the attacks between Kelly and Levin has surprised observers who remember their collegial relationship during their Fox News years. The transformation from workplace allies to bitter public antagonists illustrates how quickly alliances can dissolve when ideological differences emerge in highly polarized political environments.
As the conflict continues, questions remain about whether other conservative media figures will break their silence and take sides in the dispute. The feud between these two Fox News veterans may ultimately serve as a defining moment in the ongoing realignment of right-wing media power structures.