Megyn Kelly rips Abby Phillip over AOC coverage and ratings: 'No one watches you'

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: A heated debate over media bias intensified on Thursday, February 19, when Megyn Kelly dedicated a segment of her show to sharply criticizing CNN anchor Abby Phillip.

Kelly accused Phillip of partisan framing and exaggerating her influence at the network.

This conflict arose after a recent episode of 'NewsNight,' in which Phillip questioned the backlash directed at Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez following her appearance at the Munich Security Conference.

Conservatives had circulated clips of the New York lawmaker pausing before answering a question about China and Taiwan, portraying it as a foreign policy blunder. Kelly argued that Phillip’s handling of this discussion exemplified what she sees as a pattern of ideological protection for Democratic figures.

Megyn Kelly takes a dig at Abby Philip

During Wednesday’s broadcast, Phillip suggested political motivations drove the outrage regarding Ocasio-Cortez’s pause. Kelly responded with a sharp monologue on her program, addressing not only Phillip’s editorial judgment but also commenting on her own audience size.

Kelly said “Are we really going to pretend that you are the answer to CNN’s need for fair and balanced coverage and new audience? Because you’re failing. No one watches you. Your audience has been cut to below 400,000, which is a complete embarrassment.”

She escalated the criticism further, saying, “You ought to be fired and your sense of self ought to be wiped away in one ratings period because no one watches you. What does it say that you are the most interesting thing on CNN and literally nobody’s watching you?”

Abby Philip defends AOC

Abby Philip had addressed AOC's Munich conference gaffe on Wednesday.

“It should come as no surprise MAGA is having a field day with this one,” Phillip said, referring to supporters of Donald Trump.

She pressed the panel further, asking, “A flub for AOC, but the question is also, what happens when the president, the actual president of the United States, does very similar things on the world stage?”

In another moment, she added, “AOC probably should have been more ready for that question, but are we going to really pretend that the actual president of the United States has not made similar or perhaps worse flubs on the global stage?”

Some panelists defended Ocasio-Cortez’s handling of the moment. Cari Champion said, “The reality is that she was taking a beat. And yes, she wasn‘t great for less than 20 seconds, if you ask me but I thought she was doing something that the president of the United States rarely does and that‘s think before she speaks.”