Conservative radio host Megyn Kelly launched a frenzy of attacks earlier this week at the victim of a Cornell University gang rape.
“No one will even consider the possibility that this woman made a decision to get it on with four men total, not seven, and enjoyed it, because I’m just going to be honest: She’s not the most attractive gal, she’s extremely beefy in like her arms and her legs,” Kelly said on her show Monday, in an apparent reference to images of a woman purported by some social media users to be the victim.
The accuser, identified as Jane Doe in her lawsuit, alleged that “she was plied with alcohol and drugs” while at the Chi Pi fraternity house and was sexually assaulted by multiple men.
One of the men named in the lawsuit allegedly sent a message to a group chat stating that there was “free pussy” upstairs, referring to Doe.
She ultimately dropped out of school. Two of the seven men named in the lawsuit were expelled, two were suspended, and the other three received lighter punishments.
Although criminal charges were not filed, the district attorney’s office reopened its investigation into Doe’s claim. While many public figures have expressed support for Jane Doe, some right-wing personalities like Kelly have vocally defended the accused attackers.
“We hold the men to account for their bad behavior, but the women, none of it—or in this case, woman. What? How is this progress?” Kelly said.
She continued to allude to the alleged victim’s appearance, claiming she “possibly enjoyed being admired.”
“This is probably a first for her,” Kelly said. “She’s probably thrilled to be so admired because she clearly didn’t grow up the incredibly beautiful one. I’m not trying to be insulting.”
She went on, “Why can’t we account for that possibility— that the girl who was never the most sought after suddenly had four guys who wanted to have sex with her, and she counted this, yeah, in her inebriated state, as a win, and liked the feeling of being sexy and desired and wanted? It happens. Sorry, it does. And that’s why she kept saying yes. Why do we have to go right to, ‘She’s a victim.’”
Kelly also went after pop star Olivia Rodrigo, who is one of a number of celebrities who have condemned the university’s response to the incident. The singer also posted a story on Instagram about a high-profile rape allegation at Columbia University in 2014.
“Shut up and stick to singing,” Kelly raged. “I liked you better when you were in front of a microphone singing your weird little depressing songs. 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. You ever hear that saying? It applies to you, sweetheart. Be quiet. Go away.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.