Megyn Kelly has jumped into the debate surrounding WNBA player Dijonai Carrington’s comments on ‘white privilege,’ accusing the athlete of borrowing elements from white culture.
During her Wednesday show, the former Fox News anchor showcased images of the Chicago Sky player, remarking on Carrington’s hair, which she described as ‘whiter than mine, straighter than mine, and super long.’
“Her hair reaches down to her back, fitting the stereotype of what people might call ‘white girl hair,'” Kelly said. “Yet if I chose to wear a braid, it’s labeled as racist. In Canada, even wearing a feather is off-limits. Apparently, it’s a one-way street,” she added.
Kelly criticized the double standards, saying, “It’s acceptable for her to adopt aspects of my culture, but not the other way around. Playing the ‘white privilege’ card is laughable.”
This commentary comes as Carrington faces criticism after her remarks about ‘white privilege’ followed an incident where she was ejected from a game on Saturday for fouling Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham, resulting in Cunningham sustaining a mouth injury.
Kelly also took aim at other aspects of Carrington’s appearance during her diatribe.
‘She appears to have done something like to give herself filler face, like the super puffed out cheekbones, the like overly arched eyebrows, the overly lined lips, and the ‘tude with like the facial expression and the bright blonde hair.’
Megyn Kelly waded into the conversation about WNBA star Dijonai Carrington’s ‘white privilege’ remark on her show Wednesday
Kelly noted that the Chicago Sky star has lengthy blonde ‘white girl’ hair but claimed she is not allowed to wear a braid, a traditionally black hairstyle
Kelly contrasted that with a photo of Carrington from when she played for Stanford, when the podcaster said ‘she just looks like a normal, gorgeous gal.’
Kelly claimed that Carrington only developed an attitude when she started to play for the WNBA.
‘This league corrupts you in a very sick and unhealthy way,’ Kelly said.
Carrington was ejected from Saturday’s WNBA game against the Indiana Fever after a hard foul against Cunningham.
Shortly after, she wrote a post which read: ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE @indianafever’ which earned her criticism, including from former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho.
Carrington then hit back at Acho, saying: ‘I’ve never once claimed that the assessment of the foul was white privilege (that was your assumption).
‘Try exercising your critical thinking skills, I know you studied psych. Furthermore, I’m the LAST thing from ignorant or asinine when it comes to speaking on ‘white privilege’, do ya research on that one.
‘I would never use that term as a rhetorical weapon knowing the historical and social weight it holds without having the proper evidence to substantiate it.’
WNBA officials ruled Carrington committed a Flagrant 2 with a hard foul on Indiana Fever’s Sophie Cunningham on Saturday
She was ejected from the game and later penned a post which read: ‘White Privilege @indianafever’
But Kelly remained unconvinced and said Carrington’s suggestion that she was a victim of ‘white privilege’ was unjustified.
‘This woman, her dad was in the NFL, and apparently was really good. Standout safety in the NFL who played in two, not one, but two Super Bowls during his eight-year professional career,’ Kelly noted. ‘Her mother, Vicky, was a star track athlete.’
Carrington also attended Horizon Christian Academy, a private school in San Diego where her tuition averaged between $8,000 to $11,000 a year, Kelly said.
There, Carrington ‘became a highly-touted prospect who played for elite programs’ before she started school at Stanford University and finished her college career at Baylor University.
‘I don’t know about you, but I didn’t go to a fancy private school that cost 20 grand a year, or have both of my parents in the home, since my dad died when I was 15,’ Kelly ranted.
‘Both of them earning, both of them with enormous privilege, thanks to their incredible God-given talents in the athletic field, one who was a double NFL Super Bowl player,’ the podcaster then said of Carrington’s parents.
‘How dare she try to play the white privilege card,’ she declared.
Kelly’s remarks come eight years after she was fired from NBC for defending the use of blackface.
An NBC insider told the Daily Mail at the time that employees on the show made it very clear that they were ‘disgusted’ by her blackface comments and ‘didn’t like her personally.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to Carrington’s agent for comment.