Former Fox News host and current media personality Megyn Kelly is firing back at Megan Rapinoe in the wake of the retired U.S. women’s soccer star’s sharp criticism of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, warning Rapinoe that her unabashed commentary could leave her with a “bitter” reputation if she continues down this path.

The spat stems from comments Rapinoe made this week on her podcast A Touch More, which she co-hosts with former WNBA star Sue Bird, regarding a viral phone call between President Donald Trump and the U.S. men’s hockey team after their gold medal victory at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Rapinoe‘s criticism went beyond the president’s words. She aimed at the players themselves for how they responded in the moment, particularly their reaction to what she saw as a dismissive joke about the women’s hockey team.

In her remarks, Rapinoe was unfiltered in expressing disappointment. “The United States men’s hockey team, in their utter moment of glory … ruined it for themselves because they allowed themselves to be totally co-opted by a clown,” she said, adding bluntly, “And now, you’re a clown. You look like a clown.”

She also questioned why the men’s team laughed at a joke that seemingly discounted the women’s parallel achievement and suggested that the moment was appropriated by the president for his own purposes.

Kelly steps into the debate

Kelly, who rose to prominence as a journalist at Fox News Channel and has since hosted nationally syndicated talk shows and podcasts, seized upon Rapinoe‘s comments with her own public response.

In a social media post, Kelly wrote: “Megan Rapinoe is jealous the Team USA men’s hockey team is in the spotlight, and she’s not. Enjoy your bitter life.”

Kelly‘s rebuke frames Rapinoe‘s criticism not just as disagreement over sportsmanship or political symbolism but as personal resentment.

It is an unusual moment of public conflict between two high-profile figures whose prominence in American sports and media often intersects with broader cultural debates.

Kelly, a former attorney turned news anchor and commentator, is known for incisive interviews and often controversial takes on current events, and she maintains a significant platform through her podcast and online presence.

Rapinoe, meanwhile, is one of the most decorated U.S. women’s soccer players in history, a World Cup champion and Olympic medalist whose outspokenness on social and political issues has been a defining feature of her public persona for years.

Both figures have long blended sports commentary with broader cultural critique, but this clash highlights how their interpretations of recent Olympic events have diverged sharply.

Rapinoe‘s remarks followed a locker-room phone call from Trump to the men’s hockey team that went viral because of a joke he made about also inviting the women’s gold medalists to the State of the Union.

Several players reportedly laughed at the joke, with the men’s team later attending the address, while the U.S. women’s hockey team declined the invitation, citing prior commitments.

They will instead be celebrating their win, along with other female medalists of the 2026 Winter Olympic and 2026 Winter Paralympic Games, at a weekend celebration July 16-19 put on by rapper Flavor Flav in Las Vegas.