Megyn Kelly has publicly criticized Ben Shapiro following his remarks at Turning Point’s AmericaFest conference, expressing feelings of betrayal. During the event, Shapiro, 41, accused Kelly of lacking courage for not denouncing Candace Owens, who has been in the spotlight for promoting theories about Israel’s alleged involvement in Charlie Kirk’s death. Shapiro warned that the conservative movement faces peril due to “grifters” and “charlatans” who falsely claim to uphold principles while spreading conspiracy and falsehoods. He included Kelly, whom he regards as a friend, in his critique.

The comments were part of a series of heated exchanges at the Phoenix conference last week, underscoring a growing divide within the conservative sphere. “I was shocked,” Kelly shared with Vanity Fair in reaction. “I thought, ‘Who do you think you are?'” Kelly accused Shapiro and CBS Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of inadvertently promoting antisemitism while trying to suppress it. She asserted, “They are creating antisemites… Tucker [Carlson] is not doing that. They are,” referring to Shapiro and Weiss.

Bari Weiss, known for her strong support of Israel, praised Shapiro’s speech on social media platform X. Kelly remarked, “What Charlie and I noticed was that the country is shifting, and young Republicans are turning away from Israel.” She continued, “Ben prioritizes Israel… his actions confirm this. Why divide the American conservative movement—which was becoming more unified after Charlie’s passing—over Israel?” Kelly reiterated her point, stating, “They are creating antisemites. Tucker is not the one doing that. They are.”

She compared Shapiro’s calls for conservatives to condemn Owens to the virtue signaling seen by the left. ‘I never posted the black square and I never raised my fist at a restaurant,” Kelly said, making a reference to shows of solidarity seen during the Black Lives Matter protests that took place after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. ‘And I’m certainly not going to condemn the people Ben Shapiro demands I condemn in order to be in his imaginary club. ‘”Denounce, denounce, condemn, disassociate.” [Expletive] you!’ Kelly concluded, after tearing into Shapiro on-stage at day two of Turning Point’s AmericaFest on Friday.

‘I found it kind of funny that Ben thinks he has the power to decide who gets excommunicated from the conservative movement, which shows a willful blindness about his position in it,’ Kelly said. Kelly also to Shapiro’s remarks in an X post shortly before she took the stage, saying: ‘Only cowards take to the national stage or X to attack their “friends” without so much as a phone call to discuss it.’ ‘I don’t think we are friends anymore,’ Kelly added. ‘I’ve been a very good friend to Ben. Nobody knew who the heck Ben Shapiro was when I started putting him on my shows on the Fox News Channel. And I helped make him a star.’ Shapiro appeared on The Megyn Kelly Show over the summer. The Daily Mail has reached out to him for comment.