Rhiannon Ingle
Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community which some readers may find distressing
Megyn Kelly has sparked outrage with her 'shameful' rant about 'obese lesbians' amidst the Los Angeles wildfires, which have now tragically claimed the lives of at least 25 people.
The 54-year-old Conservative media personality took aim at the three women who hold leadership positions at the Los Angeles Fire Department and went as far as to claim women should not be the ones rescuing people.
Critiquing the LAFD's response to the fires, Kelly claimed they had overly prioritised diversity, equity and inclusion rather than firefighting resources.
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In the rant, which was posted on Monday (13 January), the The Megyn Kelly Show host began by hitting out as Fire Chief Kristin Crowley - who has served in the department for over 20 years and is also the department’s first woman and LGBTQ+ fire chief - as well as equity and human resources bureau head, Kristine Larson, and Jamie Brown, the training and support bureau commander.
Speaking on her show, Kelly said: "Three women who are at the top there are all, I mean, honestly, I'm not trying to be mean, but they're, they're obese.
"These are overweight, out of shape women."
She continued: "And the last thing I want to see if I am in a burning building, is A, a woman and B, an obese woman. Who takes comfort? 'I'm going to die. But it's, it's in the presence of an obese lesbian'. It's, this is ridiculous."
Kelly rounded off declaring: "I speak for all women. I believe I speak for all females in Los Angeles, when I say we want a strong man to rescue us, that's what we want. Do we ask for too much?"
After hearing her rant, people rushed to social media hitting out at her 'hurtful' remarks with one Instagram user writing: "I think if I was trapped in a building I would be grateful for anybody showing up to help me in anyway.
"I think this is really hurtful and horrible and not helping anybody."
"She is embarrassing," hit out a second while a third chimed in: "This is soo rude [...] This is 2025 stop with the homophobia there's no place for that."
A fourth slammed: "This is disgusting. Shameful."
"What an ignorant statement. Jeez, and these are the people we have on the television," lamented a fifth, while another echoed: "The fact that she’s making fun of their weight speaks volumes about her character and her own insecurities…"
And a final Instagram user added: "You DO NOT speak for all women."
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]