A growing dispute among prominent conservative media figures spilled further into the open this week as commentator Ben Shapiro responded forcefully to criticism from Megyn Kelly, accusing her of misrepresenting his arguments and falsely suggesting he had tried to label her an anti-Semite.
The clash began after Kelly criticized Shapiro while defending broadcaster Piers Morgan, whose program Shapiro had sharply condemned for giving airtime to what he described as vehement anti-Semites. Shapiro previously referred to Morgan’s show as the “Jerry Springer of politics,” a remark that sparked backlash from several commentators across the conservative media landscape.
During a segment of his show on Thursday, Shapiro addressed the controversy while responding to a viewer question about critics who claim his disagreements with certain figures revolve primarily around Israel.
“I’ve noticed that too,” Shapiro said after reading the question aloud. The viewer suggested that some commentators, including Kelly, have argued that Shapiro’s disputes with figures like Tucker Carlson ultimately come down to Israel-related disagreements.
Shapiro rejected that framing outright.
“So yes, they’re lying. Megyn is lying, and so is Tucker. I mean, period. They’re just lying,” Shapiro said.
He insisted his criticisms of Carlson predate recent disputes and were originally rooted in policy disagreements. According to Shapiro, his critiques of Carlson stretch back to 2018 over economic positions, and later intensified as Carlson’s views evolved after leaving Fox News.
Shapiro said his more recent criticisms have centered on Carlson’s decision to interview controversial figures, including Nick Fuentes, whom Shapiro described as a Nazi. He also referenced a speech he delivered at the Heritage Foundation in which he argued Carlson had moved away from traditional conservatism.
In that speech, Shapiro said, Carlson represented a worldview he described as conspiratorial and close to anarchism, one that seeks to tear down foundational American institutions.
Shapiro noted that Israel was barely mentioned in that address.
“Go watch the Heritage speech,” he said. “I believe Israel is mentioned once in a 35-minute speech.”
Shapiro also disputed Kelly’s claims about the origins of his criticism of her. According to Shapiro, his first public critique of Kelly came during a live event where he questioned why she had not called out Candace Owens over comments implicating Erika Kirk in the murder of Charlie Kirk.
Shapiro also criticized Kelly for not confronting Carlson over his platforming of Fuentes, noting the longstanding hostility between Fuentes and Charlie Kirk.
“That was my critique of Megyn,” Shapiro said.
He further argued that Kelly later attempted to defend Owens’s comments by claiming they were intended as a form of defense for Erika Kirk.
Shapiro insisted that at no point had he accused Kelly of anti-Semitism.
Instead, he argued that critics are playing what he described as a political game: claiming they have been accused of anti-Semitism even when no such accusation was made.
“I don’t accuse you of anti-Semitism,” Shapiro said, describing the dynamic. “You instead claim that I did.”
He compared the tactic to what he called the “Jussie Smollett of political claims,” suggesting it amounts to creating a controversy and then blaming someone else for it.
Shapiro also clarified his criticism of Morgan, emphasizing that he had not called for the host to be silenced or removed from public discourse.
“I said his show is the Jerry Springer of politics — a clown car of stupidity,” Shapiro said, adding that he simply declined to participate in the program.
Morgan, he added, is free to run his show however he chooses, and audiences are free to watch it.
Kelly responded later Thursday on her own program, defending Morgan and pushing back on Shapiro’s broader pattern of criticism toward fellow conservative figures.
Kelly argued that Morgan frequently challenges controversial guests during interviews, even telling some that they sound like Nazis.
She also expressed personal disappointment with Shapiro, noting that the two had known each other for years and had previously maintained a professional relationship dating back to her Fox News program, The Kelly File.
“It’s very sad to me as somebody who’s known Ben forever, and made Ben,” Kelly said, claiming he rose to prominence through appearances on her show.
Kelly accused Shapiro of imposing ideological purity tests on other conservative commentators and questioned how many figures would be pushed out of the movement.
“How many people have to go?” Kelly asked, pointing to past disputes involving Carlson and Owens.
She concluded by defending Morgan and criticizing what she described as a growing tendency within conservative media to police one another’s associations.
The escalating feud reflects a broader fracture within the right-leaning media ecosystem, where disagreements over alliances, rhetoric, and ideological boundaries have increasingly played out in public. While the argument centers on personalities and platforms, it also highlights deeper tensions about how the conservative movement defines itself — and who gets to speak for it.
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