Megyn Kelly says critics are 'race bating'.

[RandySF]

After touching off a firestorm of controversy over her suggestion earlier in the week that Santa is white, Megyn Kelly took on her critics Friday, reminding them that her comments were tongue-in-cheek.

“Humor is what we try to bring to this show, but that’s lost on the humorless,” Kelly said on “The Kelly File.” “This would be funny if it were not so telling about our society, in particular, the knee-jerk instinct by so many to race-bait and to assume the worst in people, especially people employed by the very powerful Fox News Channel.”

The backlash began on Wednesday, when Kelly and several guests discussed on “The Kelly File” a Dec. 10 column by Slate writer Aisha Harris entitled “Santa Claus Should Not Be a White Man Anymore.” In the light-hearted piece, Harris suggested a penguin replace St. Nick as a Christmas mascot so as to appeal to children of all races.

“For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white, but this person is just arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa,” Kelly said on Wednesday. “But Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we’re just debating this because someone wrote about it.”


http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/12/13/megyn-kelly-responds-to-critics-over-santa-is-white-flap/

[Eleanors38]

1. No, they're just ducking your on-air eructions.

[onehandle]

2. Cheesecake?

[Coyotl]

9. Sexism is no better than racism, by the way!

You might want to delete this post.

[Vashta Nerada]

10. Why are the attractive ones always so damn stupid?

[jsr]

13. One word: Plastics.

[HughBeaumont]

3. *

[font size="6"]BE WRONG!! JUST BE WRONG!!![/font]

[Archae]

4. It wasn't just Santa you moron!!!

Megyn Kelley also stated Jesus was white.

[spin]

6. She backed away from that claim today. ...

She said that she learned this week that there was some debate over this topic as indeed there is.

UPDATE: Fox News’ Megyn Kelly Says Jesus/Santa Show Segment Was Humor
BY LISA DE MORAES, TV Columnist | Friday December 13, 2013 @ 8:37pm PST

UPDATE: 8 PM: Megyn Kelly said tonight on her Fox News Channel program that her Wednesday show segment, in which she said that Santa Claus and Jesus are white, was tongue-in-cheek and that anyone who says otherwise needs to lighten up. “Humor is a part of what we try to bring to this show, but sometimes that’s lost on the humorless,” she said on tonight’s The Kelly File. “This would be funny if it were not so telling about our society, in particular, the knee-jerk instinct by so many to race-bait and to assume the worst in people, especially people employed by the very powerful Fox News Channel.” On her show Wednesday, Kelly and panelists discussed a Slate piece written by a black woman suggesting Santa should not be a white man anymore. Writer Aisha Harris suggested a penguin replace Santa Claus, so as to appeal to children of all races. “For all you kids watching at home,” Kelly said Wednesday. “Santa just is white, but this person is just arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa. But Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we’re just debating this because someone wrote about it, kids.”

Related: Kelly To Leno: “I Am Not One Of The Opinion Hosts At Fox”
Then on tonight’s show, Kelly said: “Contrary to what my critics have posited, neither my statement, nor Harris’, I’m sure, was motivated by any racial fear or loathing. In fact, it was something far less sinister: a lifetime of exposure to the very same commercials, mall casting calls, and movies Harris references in her piece. “Should that change? Well, that debate got lost because so many couldn’t get past the fact that I acknowledged, as Harris did, that the most commonly depicted image of Santa, does, in fact, have white skin,” Kelly said. She did acknowledge tonight that her assertion Wednesday that Jesus was a white man “is far from settled.” Kelly said, “The fact that an offhand jest I made during a segment about whether Santa should be replaced by a penguin has now become a national firestorm says two things: Race is still an incredibly volatile issue in this country, and Fox News, and yours truly, are big targets for many people.”...emphasis added

http://m.deadline.com/2013/12/fncs-megyn-kelly-to-return-to-show-address-santa-clausjesus-controversy-tonight-video/

For what it is worth I would guess that the man described in the New Testament as Jesus had an olive complexion darkened by the sun as he was a Jew living in first century Palestine. For all I know he might have been black but I seriously doubt he had blond hair and blue eyes.

Kelly is indeed a big target for late night comedians and for liberal Democrats as she is hosting a popular show in prime time on Fox News. Fair or not, she will quickly learn that she will regret any stupid comment she makes. She may be making an attempt to incorporate some humor into her program but it appears that she is at best a mediocre comedian. It might be wisest for her to try to stick to her prime job as a news anchor and talk show host.

[longship]

5. Oh for fuck sake!!!!!

Whatta maroon!

[randome]

17. Pretty much what went through my head at first, too.

Incredible.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font][hr]

[Beaverhausen]

7. The fact that she called them verifiable historic figures

That is the real problem with what she said. If she acknowledged that they are both myths, their race really wouldn't matter.

[Coyotl]

8. What is 'race bating'? Is that even a word?

On edit: Isn't that supposed to be race-baiting?

[Coyotl]

11. Martin Bashir resign for criticizing a racist. But on "the very powerful Fox News Channel” racism

is humor?

So, criticize a racist and you lose your job, be a racist and you're a comedian?

[Jamaal510]

14. FOX News apparenty has lower standards. nt

[Coyotl]

16. I would go with "very different" standards, if not opposite standards.

[TeamPooka]

12. "Hey just kidding" - because Fox News is a comedy of errors.

some fucking excuse.
it took two days to come up with that one?
Brain trust action there.

[TexasProgresive]

15. What is "race baiting"?

And why is it that racists are the only ones charging others with it?

[underpants]

18. Sorry I duped you- she clearly wasn't joking in any way

Kicking your thread up to the top.

There is no way you could read what she said let alone watch the video and think this was "tongue in cheek".

[spanone]

19. like a bad comedian, joke falls flat and calls audience 'humorless'

[LisaLynne]

20. Here's the thing.

In order for her to say that Santa is white as she did, she had to be pretty offended by the idea of a black Santa. To be the bothered by that and that invested in Santa being portrayed as white in order to be more inclusive, you have to be a racist, imho. So, the fact that she made that statement, even on the outside chance she was "joking", is revealing about her.

[edhopper]

21. Megyn

could you explain this "joke'. Cause i don't get it.