Overview of The Megyn Kelly Show Ep. 1401
Megyn Kelly and Maureen Callahan spend most of this episode unpacking the latest royal-family drama surrounding Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and the upcoming bombshell book from Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer. They debate the credibility of the book’s claims about Princess Diana, Prince Charles, and the aftermath of Diana’s death, while also veering into a sharp critique of Oprah Winfrey’s self-mythologizing interview style and Lena Dunham’s new baby announcement. A smaller segment also touches on the Patrick Clancy media interview and broader questions about the ethics of publicizing family tragedy.
Royal Family Fallout: Earl Spencer’s Diana Book, Harry, and Meghan
The big allegation
The central discussion is an excerpt from Earl Spencer’s upcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, especially the claim that Prince Charles allegedly said Diana would be “forgotten soon enough” after her death.
Megyn and Maureen:
- Say the line sounds plausible given the bad blood in Diana’s marriage.
- Note that Spencer’s account has a “ring of truth,” but also question why he would reveal such private details if he were truly close to Diana.
- Point out inconsistencies in the leaked excerpt versus Spencer’s older public retellings.
Diana’s image, mental health, and the Spencer family
The conversation turns into a broader interpretation of Diana:
- They argue Diana was deeply troubled emotionally and likely had traits consistent with borderline personality disorder and perhaps histrionic personality disorder.
- They say Harry appears to have inherited some of the same volatility.
- They also criticize the “Diana as victim only” narrative, arguing she helped fuel the media machine she later denounced.
Funeral controversy and family politics
They spend a lot of time on the claim that Spencer was outraged about Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind Diana’s coffin:
- Megyn and Maureen note that Spencer’s own public eulogy was highly self-serving.
- They suggest he may have wanted to walk behind the coffin alone.
- They argue he used the funeral to elevate himself and wage a proxy battle with the royal family.
- They also emphasize that Charles, despite his flaws, appeared visibly shattered and did help bring Diana home.
Harry and Meghan’s current strategy
They connect Spencer’s book to the Sussexes’ ongoing relationship with the royal family:
- They believe Harry likely knew about the book or at least knew something was coming.
- They suggest Harry and Meghan may be trying to use Spencer as an ally against King Charles and Prince William.
- They mock the couple’s claims about security and the pulling of their children from school in the U.K., calling it a likely ploy to justify taxpayer-funded protection.
- They argue the couple continue to weaponize optics and media narratives while failing to make practical security choices.
Oprah Winfrey on Mel Robbins: “The Most Blessed Life on Earth”
Megyn and Maureen are highly skeptical of Oprah’s appearance on Mel Robbins’ show/podcast.
Their main criticism
They argue Oprah’s style is:
- Overly performative
- Self-congratulatory
- More acting than wisdom
- Built around vague, inspirational language that sounds profound but says very little
They mock her repeated claims about being “blessed” and “marveling” at her life, arguing that the message is ultimately:
- “Look how amazing I am”
- “My life is the success story you should admire”
- “Your job is to become yourself,” without offering any meaningful guidance
Their takeaway
They see Oprah as having:
- Turned self-help into a kind of consumerist performance
- Pushed a worldview that assumes everyone has the same access to time, money, and opportunity
- Helped create a modern self-help culture full of empty slogans and pseudo-spiritual branding
Lena Dunham’s Baby Announcement
The hosts also react strongly to Lena Dunham’s Vogue essay about having a baby via surrogate.
Their reaction
They describe Dunham as:
- Deeply self-absorbed
- Emotionally unstable
- A poor fit for motherhood, in their view
They object to:
- The melodramatic tone of the essay
- Her sentimental language about the surrogate and the baby
- The way the piece turns a personal reproductive story into self-psychology and identity theater
Broader critique
They connect it to their broader criticism of celebrity culture:
- Lena Dunham still gets treated as culturally relevant despite, in their view, being out of touch and overexposed.
- They argue her continued prestige is a symptom of media elites rewarding ideology and brand value more than actual merit.
Brief Sidebar: Patrick Clancy and the 60 Minutes Interview
The show briefly detours into the Patrick Clancy interview about the murder of his three children.
Their concerns
Megyn and Maureen question:
- Why he is doing a media tour at all
- Why his new wife is appearing with him
- Whether the publicity is an image-rehab campaign or an attempt to counter conspiracy theories
They are especially critical of:
- The staged, polished visual presentation
- The awkward line from the wife about meeting him in Central Park
- The broader culture of monetizing or packaging tragedy for media consumption
Main Takeaways
- The royal family remains in crisis mode, with new revelations about Diana still shaping public perception decades later.
- Megyn and Maureen believe Spencer’s book is less noble exposé and more self-serving attack, possibly aligned with Harry and Meghan’s grievances.
- They view Oprah’s self-help persona as hollow and performative, built on inspirational clichés rather than substance.
- They see Lena Dunham’s baby essay as another example of celebrity narcissism and cultural overreach.
- A recurring theme throughout the episode is distrust of media narratives that elevate emotion, branding, or grievance over reality.
Notable Lines/Ideas
- Diana was portrayed as the “most hunted person of the modern age.”
- Oprah’s message was interpreted as: “I’m the point.”
- Harry and Meghan’s security complaints were treated as a publicity and leverage strategy rather than a genuine emergency.
- The hosts repeatedly return to the idea that elite media often rewards spectacle, not truth.