Megyn Kelly lashes out at sports columnist who hailed women’s basketball coach a ‘national treasure’ for supporting transgender athletes competing in female games

Megyn Kelly has slammed USA Today sports columnist Nancy Armour, telling her to ‘shut the f**k up’ for voicing support for transgender women in sports.

In the latest episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, the podcaster condemned Armour for her stance on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

‘There’s this columnist over at USA Today, sports, Nancy Armour,’ Kelly said, calling her a ‘repeat violator of women’s rights’. 

‘You’re a goddamn national disgrace, madam, because you have a pen in a very large newspaper, dwindling though by the day, and you too could stand up for women but you’re too cowardly to do it,’ Kelly said.  

Armour recently hailed South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley as a ‘national treasure’ after she controversially claimed that transgender athletes ‘should be able to play’ in women’s basketball.

Speaking a day after her women’s basketball team beat NC State in the Final Four of March Madness, advancing to the national championship game against Iowa, Staley said anyone who considers themselves to be a woman should be free to play.

‘I’m of the opinion that if you’re a woman, you should play,’ Staley said during the press conference. 

‘If you consider yourself a woman and you want to play sports, or vice-versa, you should be able to play,’ she added. 

On The Megyn Kelly Show aired on Monday, Kelly played the clip of the conference before she called Staley, 53, a ‘complete turnout to womankind’. 

‘Staley is considered a legend in the women’s game. She got to a position of power. She got all of her accolades and awards,’ Kelly said, saying Staley’s statement was ‘unbelievable’. 

‘She got all of this fawning praise and money. And when she has a chance to do something for women coming up behind her, she pulls up the ladder and says play against the men. That’s what she just did there.’ 

The host then turned her criticism towards Armour, who tweeted after the game and praised Staley as ‘a goddamn national treasure’. 

Armour’s X post reads: ‘Dawn Staley is a god***n national treasure. She’s asked by the usual suspect about transgender athletes. 

‘Says transgender women should be allowed to play. Then skewers the guy by saying she knows this’ll now create a firestorm ahead of biggest game, “and I’m OK with that,”” the post continues. 

 Hitting back at Armour, Kelly said: ‘You’re not a mother. You don’t have to worry about your daughter having to face some six-foot-four man out on the basketball court like I do. So I don’t want to hear from you.’ 

Kelly then read Armour’s profile bio on X, which describes herself as an ‘aunt of three greatest boys ever.’ 

‘She doesn’t even have nieces,’ Kelly said, before she 

‘I don’t have all the answers, but I’m always looking for more of them,’ Kelly continued reading Armour’s profile page. 

‘I’ve got one for you, Nancy. Shut the f**k up until you know what you’re talking about, because girls are getting hurt by male basketball players posing as girls. 

‘I take you out to Massachusetts, where Lowell was playing in a game, the Lowell school was playing in a game, and they had to call it at the half because three players got hurt. 

Kelly then played the viral clip of the February 8th basketball game where Collegiate Charter School of Lowell completed against KIPP Academy Lynn when a biological male player injured multiple women on the opposing team. 

‘Look at this girl in the black shirt go down. That’s a man pretending to be a girl who took the ball from her. Look at her,’ Kelly said in fury. 

‘You watch this, Nancy, Dawn! You two watch this! Look at her writhing in pain after she was injured by a boy pretending to be a girl. 

Kelly’s outrage comes as the rules on transgender athletes have become a contentious issue in recent years, spilling over into politics and even the justice system. 

In January 2022, the NCAA amended its policy to allow each sport’s rules to be determined by a national governing body, international federation – or the 2015 Olympic standard.

That change came around the same time that transgender athlete Lia Thomas began competing in women’s swimming, even winning a national championship while at the University of Pennsylvania.

In basketball, the NCAA currently defers to the 2015 Olympic guidance regarding an allowable threshold of testosterone (under 10 nanomoles per liter). At present, there are no known transgender women competing in Division I basketball.