Megyn Kelly slams Caitlin Clark for ‘condescending, fake’ white privilege comments
'She’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention'
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Caitlin Clark didn’t have much time to celebrate being named TimeMagazine’s Athlete of the Year earlier this week.
It only took hours before she was being attacked on social media for her comments about race and white privilege she made in the feature story in the outlet.
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Megyn Kelly slams Caitlin Clark for ‘condescending, fake’ white privilege comments Back to video
One person who came hardest at the WNBA superstar was former Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly, who torched Clark in a post on X on Tuesday.
“Look at this,” Kelly wrote on X while reposting quotes from the Time Magazine story. “(Clark)’s on the knee all but apologizing for being white and getting attention. The self-flagellation. The ‘oh please pay attention to the black players who are REALLY the ones you want to celebrate.’
“Condescending. Fake. Transparent. Sad.”
In interviews with Time, Clark spoke at length about the impact that race has played in her meteoric rise to stardom, first with the Iowa Hawkeyes in college and then with the Indiana Fever of the WNBA – a league historically dominated by Black athletes.
“I want to say I’ve earned every single thing, but as a white person, there is privilege,” Clark told the outlet. “A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been Black players. This league has kind of been built on them.
“The more we can appreciate that, highlight that, talk about that, and then continue to have brands and companies invest in those players that have made this league incredible, I think it’s very important. I have to continue to try to change that.
“The more we can elevate Black women, that’s going to be a beautiful thing.”
Kelly worked for Fox News from 2004-17 and also had stints with ABC and NBC before starting The Megyn Kelly Show in 2020. The talk show and podcast airs live daily on SiriusXM and has 2.3 million subscribers.
Clark wrapped up her first pro season by winning the WNBA’s rookie of the year award and setting numerous records.
Her impact has been felt across the league with records also being set in attendance and TV audience.
Her run with Iowa in this year’s NCAA women’s tournament also helped set numerous TV records — not just for women’s basketball, but for all of women’s sport.
On Wednesday, Clark was given a chance to respond to Kelly’s critique at the “A Year in TIME” event in New York City, where the hoops star was a keynote speaker.
During a conversation with Clark, NBC Sports broadcaster Maria Taylor brought up Kelly’s comments.
“I feel like you have had to answer more questions than anybody about the intersectionality of race and gender and sexuality in sport because of just who you are,” Taylor began. “Earlier today, Megyn Kelly, she was saying that you were apologizing for your white privilege and the fact that you wanted to uplift Black female athletes.
“And I just want to know how you feel or how you respond to some of those criticisms.”
In addressing the criticisms like what Kelly wrote, Clark said that she has learned to block out the so-called “noise.”
“I think my best skill is just blocking out the noise, and hopefully it continues to be, because with the way things are going and where the WNBA is going, you want that attention, and you embrace it, and that’s what makes this so fun,” she said.
In her response, Clark also continued to praise the women that came before her in the league.
“I feel like I have always had really good perspective on everything that’s kind of happened in my life, whether that’s been good, whether that’s been bad,” Clark said. “And then obviously, coming to the WNBA, I feel like I’ve earned every single thing that has happened to me over the course of my career.
“But also, I grew up a fan of this league from a very young age. My favorite player was Maya Moore. I know what this league was about,” Clark continued.
“I know there have been so many amazing Black women that have been in this league, and continuing to uplift them is very important. And that’s something I’m very aware of. I just try to be real, and authentic, and share my truth, and I think that’s very easy for me. I’m very comfortable in my own skin, and that’s how it has been my entire life.”
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