Megyn Kelly Slams Olivia Rodrigo for Speaking Out on Cornell Rape Case

Megyn Kelly has criticized Olivia Rodrigo for publicly supporting Jane Doe, the accuser in the recent gang rape case at Cornell University. Kelly advised the pop star to "shut up and stick to singing," calling Rodrigo a "know-nothing moron" during her show on Monday.

Rodrigo had posted a statement on her Instagram Story Sunday expressing solidarity with Jane Doe, who is suing Cornell University and seven former members of the Chi Phi fraternity. Doe alleges she was drugged and gang-raped at a fraternity house in October 2024.

"Shame on Cornell and on every institution who protects rapists and abusers over women," Rodrigo wrote. "I stand with Jane Doe. Her bravery reverberates across the country and the crimes against her will not go unpunished. What she lived through matters, and so does the failure of those who could have intervened but chose not to. She deserves answers, consequences, and lasting change."

Kelly, 55, responded to Rodrigo's statement by saying, "I liked you better when you were in front of a microphone singing your weird little depressing songs." She added, "Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about... It’s better to keep your mouth shut and let people suspect you’re an idiot than to open it and prove them right. Ever hear that saying? It applies to you, sweetheart."

Kelly further suggested that Rodrigo, 23, suddenly believes she has something "profound" to say and threatened to "start pulling [Rodrigo's] music and your lyrics and take a deep dive into exactly the kind of messaging that you are pushing on young women."

Jane Doe's lawsuit details allegations that seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity provided her with alcohol and drugs, including ketamine, before sexually assaulting her for hours in October 2024. She also claims Cornell failed to adequately protect her and deliver justice after she reported the incident to university officials.

Evidence submitted includes Snapchat messages from a group chat that allegedly show the defendants inviting other fraternity members to the location of the assault. Matthew Ingalls, one of the accused fraternity brothers, reportedly claimed to campus officials that Doe had “sodomized” him, according to an email from February 2025.

Cornell expelled Ingalls and another fraternity member in May 2025 after an internal investigation found them responsible for sexual assault. The other five individuals named in Doe's lawsuit received suspensions or lesser disciplinary actions. The accused men have denied the allegations, and no criminal charges have been filed.

In September, Cornell defended its initial handling of the case while agreeing to an independent review. Kyle Kimball, the university’s vice president of university relations, stated that any suggestion the university did not impose consequences was false. Cornell President Michael I. Kotlikoff acknowledged in October that the university "must do better" and announced participation in an independent investigation into how the report was handled. Rodrigo is among several celebrities, including Florence Pugh and Josh Gad, who have publicly supported Jane Doe.