Megyn Kelly Attacked Meghan Markle With A Harmful Trope That Goes Deeper Than It Seems

Right-wing pundit Megyn Kelly recently unleashed an attack on Meghan, Duchess of Sussex — this time leaning on harmful gender stereotypes. During a segment of “The Megyn Kelly Show” posted online on Thursday, Kelly vented to Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy, who was a guest on her show, about her frustrations with the Duchess of Sussex, who recently appeared on “The Jamie Kern Lima Show” podcast.The former Fox News host, a known critic of the duchess, began the segment by unleashing a fiery rant about Meghan, calling her a “malignant narcissist,” among a host of other insults and accusations. She also accused her of marrying her husband, Prince Harry, “for money.”“It’s very clear she bagged the elephant,” Kelly said, before claiming that the former actor had a “vision board with Prince Harry on it.” The former Meghan Markle has been subjected to such attacks since her relationship with Harry became public in 2016, months after their mutual friend set them up on a blind date. The couple publicly announced their engagement the following year.Meghan had starred on the TV series “Suits” prior to meeting Harry, and many of the classist accusations about her being a social climber or marrying “for money,” as Kelly recently charged, have racistundertones.Kelly’s swipes at Meghan also highlight how accusing women of being gold diggers plays into sexist stereotypes.Geralyn Fortney, a licensed professional counsellor and regional clinic director with Thriveworks who specialises in women’s issues, told HuffPost that Kelly’s remark “furthers the narrative that women cannot act without an ulterior motive, which is not the case.”“It dismisses the fact that everyone, even women who marry men of privilege, is capable of marrying for love,” she said. “This is a long-standing sexist trope that discredits women as incapable of love without strings attached, and also makes us believe that women are unable to have success on their own!”“We also don’t hear much feedback from the media about Prince Harry marrying Meghan because she’s beautiful and was successful in her own right — his intentions are not often questioned as a male in society,” she continued.Anita Chlipala, a licensed marriage and family therapist and founder of the practice Relationship Reality 312, said that she thought it was in “poor taste” for Kelly to make assumptions and allegations about someone else’s motives for getting married. Like Fortney, she emphasised that Meghan had found success “in her own right” prior to meeting Harry.Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, photographed speaking onstage during the 2025 TIME100 Summit on April 23 in New York City.Perpetuating stereotypes about women’s motives harms everyone.“When people consistently hear that women are only successful because of their relationships with men, it reinforces harmful internal narratives that we believe as a society because we listen to them over and over,” Fortney said. “This can destroy self-esteem and amplify impostor syndrome to those accused.”And when the media continually pushes these narratives about women, heterosexual men may increasingly feel they need to be “leery” of a woman’s romantic intentions, Fortney explained. She also pointed out that these gender stereotypes could have harmful effects on men, as men may feel their “value to a potential partner is tied to their bank account and nothing else.”This could affect a man’s self-esteem, overall mental health, or it could “manifest as anxiety or even attachment issues.”And these sexist tropes can cause women in relationships to fear judgment, shame or that their peers don’t respect them, Fortney said. Crystal Saidi, a licensed psychologist with Thriveworks, told HuffPost that she’s seen women who date men with more money being viewed more suspiciously about their motives than the other way around. She said that “gold digger” stereotypes about women can make women who earn less than their male partners worry about being seen as “less than,” which can lead to internalised shame and self-doubt. This can affect someone’s “overall self-worth,” Saidi said. Couples should be encouraged to discuss their finances — and to leave misogynistic labels at the door. Saidi said that labels like “gold digger” are “outdated” and “ignore context and humanity.” And, in general, “wanting a partner who is financially stable is not shallow — it makes them human. Money can impact lifestyle, stress, and planning for the future.” The “gold digger” label stems from a time when women “had to financially rely on men,” she said. Fortney added that the label is “rooted in misogyny and antiquated power dynamics.”Chlipala also said that it’s important for everyone to remember that women have historically been economically disadvantaged. “Financial security is a valid need and value, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting a financially stable partner,” she said. She said that while, in her practice, she’s found that men were more likely to feel societal pressure to make enough money to provide, she’s also found that men in heterosexual relationships have expressed different financial expectations for their partners — some men don’t expect women to pay for anything, while others expect financial equality. “Expectations around money and financial contributions [are] something each partner should be honestly discussing during the dating stage,” she said before highlighting that some research has indicated that younger women are out-earningtheir male counterparts in some U.S. cities. “I recommend that every couple dating discuss finances and their expectations and ideas around financial security and what that looks like,” she said. “Talk about what money means to each of you and your beliefs around spending and saving.”“You want to assess how closely aligned you are with your meaning, values, and beliefs around finances,” she added. And as for Kelly, Chlipala has some advice for her, too: Kelly could be “using her platform to talk about how for centuries women have been financially dependent on men and lacked the economic autonomy to have power and control over their own lives,” Chlipala said. “She could be having conversations about what makes marriages work, what can help women succeed and feel good about themselves [when] research shows that women are much less satisfied in marriages than men.”“We as a society have to do better and help support marriages. The divorce rate is high enough,” she added. Related...The 'Gold Digger' Label Is Dead – Women Are The Ones Wanting PrenupsHarry And Meghan Say 'Enough Is Not Being Done' To Protect Kids OnlineMeghan Markle Responds To 1 Big Criticism Of Her Netflix Show

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