Megyn Kelly just made some incendiary comments about Olivia Rodrigo after the singer vocalized support for Jane Doe in the Cornell gang rape lawsuit.
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In the Monday (Oct. 5) episode of her YouTube show, the conservative commentator first read off Rodrigo’s statement posted earlier that day. “Shame on Cornell and on every institution who protects rapists and abusers over women,” the Grammy winner had written. “I stand with Jane Doe. Her bravery reverberates across the country and the crimes against her will not go unpunished. What she lived through matters, and so does the failure of those who could have intervened but chose not to. She deserves answers, consequences, and lasting change.”
Of Rodrigo’s stance, Kelly said, “Shut up and stick to singing.”
“I liked you better when you were in front of a microphone singing your weird little depressing songs,” the media personality continued. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s better to keep your mouth shut and let people suspect you’re an idiot than to open it and prove them right. Ever hear that saying? It applies to you, sweetheart.”
She went on, “We don’t need the participation of know-nothing morons who have been auto-tuned into fame and suddenly think they have something profound to say on the culture wars.”
“Sit down and be quiet,” Kelly added. “Or I’m going to have to start pulling your music and your lyrics and take a deep dive into exactly the kind of messaging that you are pushing on young women. I guarantee it’s not going to end well for you, Olivia. Be quiet. The adults are talking.”
Billboard has reached out to Rodrigo’s rep for comment.
The 55-year-old broadcaster’s rant about the 23-year-old musician comes as similar discourse is taking place across the internet in response to Jane Doe’s recent lawsuit against Cornell and seven then-members of the Chi Phi fraternity, whom the plaintiff claims gave her alcohol and drugs such as ketamine before allegedly gang raping her for hours in October 2024 when she was in no condition to consent. Messages from a Snapchat group thread submitted as evidence show that the defendants encouraged other frat brothers to join them at the time and place of the alleged assault.
The university is also named in the suit, with Jane Doe alleging that Cornell failed to protect her or deliver justice after she initially brought her allegations to school officials two years ago.
The accused Chi Phi alumni have denied wrongdoing in connection to the allegations, according to The New York Times, with some insisting that the sexual activity described by Jane Doe in the lawsuit was either consensual or misrepresented. While Rodrigo and many others online — such as Florence Pugh and Lzzy Hale — have expressed support for Jane Doe and outrage at the alleged situation, Kelly and others have publicly backed the defendants, believing them to be falsely accused.
This is also par for the course for Kelly, whose repeated celebrity callouts on her YouTube channel have made for some of her most attention-grabbing moments.
For its part, Cornell has stood by its initial investigation of the alleged rape in 2024, but has welcomed the re-examination of the case through Jane Doe’s new criminal lawsuit. “Any suggestion that the university did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false,” Kyle Kimball, vp of university relations, said in a Sept. 28 statement. “A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault.”
On Oct. 3, the school’s president, Michael I. Kotlikoff, added that Cornell will participate in an independent investigation into how it handled Jane Doe’s report in 2024 and said, “We as an administration and community must do better.”
As for Kelly’s threat to “take a deep dive into exactly the kind of messaging” Rodrigo is “pushing on young women,” it’s unclear what the conservative host is insinuating she might find. The former Disney star has been steadfast in her action-based support of women and girls through raising money for abortion funds, organizations fighting domestic violence and other charities via her Fund 4 Good and recent Daisy Chain Fields festival.
“When I play shows, I look out at crowds filled with young girls, and the bond I feel with them is profound,” Rodrigo said in April 2025 while accepting Planned Parenthood’s Catalyst of Change award. “To be in a space where we can all feel safe to be wild, emotional and carefree is incredibly powerful, and even though we’re not speaking one on one, those moments where we sing together and lock eyes, something real forms … I often wonder, ‘What happens to those girls when they leave those venues? What are their dreams? What kind of world are they returning to?”
If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE) — which is available 24/7, 365 days — or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website.