Megyn Kelly calls out US Olympic athletes for bashing the country: 'Bad behaviour about your country'

WASHINGTON, DC: Megyn Kelly has strongly criticised several Team USA athletes competing at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. She accused them of using the international stage to air political grievances and undermine the country they are meant to represent.

The former Fox News anchor said their "bad behavior" towards their country reflects entitlement rather than principle.

Megyn Kelly slams Amber Glenn

The Olympics are traditionally a celebration of unity, national pride and moments that transcend politics. Megyn Kelly criticized some US athletes at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, arguing they are prioritizing political commentary over representing their country.

Kelly focused on figure skater Amber Glenn, rights under the Trump administration during a pre-Olympic press briefing. Glenn, a three-time US champion, suggested the community was facing a “hard time” and said it had been forced to “fight for our human rights.”

On Piers Morgan Uncensored, Kelly directly challenged Glenn’s claims. “What gay rights have you not enjoyed as an American citizen? Nothing. It’s a lie,” Kelly said, arguing that gay Americans enjoy full legal equality.

She added that debates over transgender policy were a separate matter and accused Glenn of “glomming on” to what she described as a culture of victimhood.

Kelly further noted that Glenn did not criticise countries at the Olympics where same-sex relationships are criminalised, nor did she acknowledge that the Trump administration included openly gay officials in senior positions.

Kelly contrasted those remarks with the conduct of downhill skier Breezy Johnson, who won Team USA’s first gold medal of the Games.

Johnson stood on the podium with tears in her eyes, singing along to the national anthem with her hand over her heart as the American flag was raised: an image Kelly praised as “pure class.”

Hunter Hess under fire

The backlash has reached beyond current US athletes. Former US freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, now competing for Great Britain, sparked outrage last week after sharing a vulgar anti-ICE image on Instagram.

The strongest reaction, however, came from US freestyle skier Hunter Hess, who told reporters he had “mixed emotions” about representing the United States. Hess explained that he felt more at ease viewing his participation as a reflection of his friends, family and personal values rather than as a representation of the country itself. 

Hess later attempted to walk back the remarks, posting “I love my country” alongside an American flag emoji and reaffirming his excitement to compete.

“No one gives a damn about you, Mr Hess. You’ll be forgotten in about two minutes, whether you win gold or not. But your bad behaviour about your country and the flag you were sent to represent will be remembered for a long time,” Kelly wrote in an article.

‘The name on the front matters’

Kelly said the episode highlighted a fundamental misunderstanding of what the Olympics represent. Drawing on the legacy of Herb Brooks, the coach of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team, she argued that national representation comes before individual expression.

Referring to a clip from the film Miracle, Kelly echoed Brooks’ famous line that “the name on the front of your jersey is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back.”

“You go to the Olympics because you’re representing the United States of America,” Kelly said.