Right-wing media personality Megyn Kelly is facing intense criticism after expressing graphic, violent fantasies about the killing of survivors from a U.S. military airstrike, comments that have been labelled as "sick" and sadistic by observers.
Graphic Fantasies and a Controversial Strike
During her SiriusXM show on Monday, December 2, 2025, Kelly commented on a September 2 U.S. military airstrike in the Caribbean targeting a vessel suspected of drug smuggling. Kelly stated she believed the military was "too soft" in its initial attack.
"I really do kind of not only want to see them killed in the water, whether they’re on the boat or in the water, but I’d really like to see them suffer," Kelly said. She then elaborated on a twisted scenario involving President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth handling alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers. "I would like Trump and Hegseth to make it last a long time so that they lose a limb and bleed out a little," she added.
Kelly dismissed sympathy for the individuals targeted, who she claimed were "drug boat guys" attempting to bring fentanyl into the United States.
A Potential War Crime Under Scrutiny
The controversy around Kelly's remarks is amplified by a recent Washington Post bombshell report that cast the military operation in a disturbing light. According to the Post's investigation, after the initial missile strike, a drone feed showed two survivors clinging to wreckage.
The newspaper, citing two sources, reported that a Special Operations commander then ordered a second strike to kill the two survivors. This order was allegedly given to comply with a demand from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. "The order was to kill everybody," one source stated.
This action may constitute a war crime. The U.S. Department of Defense Law of War Manual explicitly states on page 1088 that "orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal." It further notes on page 239 that attacking people in a "helpless state" due to shipwreck is "dishonorable and inhumane."
Trump defended Hegseth, telling reporters on Sunday that the Secretary "did not say that and I believe him, 100%."
Backlash and a Dismissal of Scrutiny
Critics on social media platform X swiftly condemned Kelly's commentary. One user described her openly fantasizing about watching people drown as "unhinged sadism dressed up as patriotism." Others called her a "soulless ghoul" and a "war crimes cheerleader," with some noting her rhetoric had reached "the Nancy Mace level of lunacy."
During her show, Kelly offered a contradictory justification. While she conceded armed forces "should, umm, not commit war crimes," she objected to the scrutiny of the event, calling it "manufactured." She claimed the criticism was only meant to retroactively justify the actions of the 'Seditious Six'—Democratic members of Congress who previously posted a video urging troops to refuse illegal orders.
The incident highlights the volatile intersection of media commentary, military action, and the legal frameworks of armed conflict, raising serious ethical and legal questions that extend beyond the initial strike.
