Megyn Kelly sparked a debate after making controversial remarks about the female leaders of the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFP) as wildfires rage across the city.
The conservative media personality criticized the women’s appearance, calling them "obese" and saying she would prefer to be rescued by a "strong man."
Kelly's comments were targeted toward Kristin Crowley, a 22-year veteran and the department's first woman and openly gay fire chief; Kristine Larson, the department's equity and human resources bureau head; and Jamie Brown, the training and support bureau commander.
Image credits: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Crowley, Larson, and Brown are the only women in leadership positions in the LAFD 14-person leadership team.
"I believe I speak for all females in Los Angeles when I say we want a strong man to rescue us," the reporter said on her podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, on Monday (January 13).
"These three women who are at the top there are all, I mean honestly, I'm not trying to be mean, but they're obese," Kelly continued. "These are overweight, out-of-shape women."
"And the last thing I want to see if I am in a burning building is A) a woman and B) an obese woman. Who takes comfort [in that]? I'm going to die, but it's in the presence of an obese lesbian. This is ridiculous."
Image credits: Kyle Grillot/Getty Images
She added: "I speak for all women - I believe I speak for all females in Los Angeles - when I say: We want a strong man to rescue us. That's what we want. Do we ask for too much?"
On social media, people debated Kelly’s remarks about how a firefighter’s weight impacts the efficiency of the job.
“What has happened to the physical requirements among both the police force and firefighters with their overweight people? It’s not a reassuring look,” one user wrote.
“Absolutely! Give me a fit strong man or an equally fit strong woman w/ a strong determination to save my life!” said somebody else.
The reporter specifically mentioned Kristin Crowley, Kristine Larson, and Jamie Brown, calling them "obese"
Image credits: Megyn Kelly
Image credits: Los Angeles Fire Department
“With respect Mrs Kelly, if I ever find myself being rescued from a burning building, I would not care what the person looked like. I would be grateful the person saved my life,” a separate user expressed.
“The only thing I care about if I am stuck in a burning building, is if the person who shows up can get me out,” another added.
Kelly also made transphobic remarks, referring to trans women as "fake women" and saying they should join the LAFD instead of women who were born biologically female.
"Let's get the fake women who want to invade our sports and redirect them to the fire department. That would be a great place for you to break barriers as a quote 'woman' in the firefighting realm where you still have all of your male advantage."
"I believe I speak for all females in Los Angeles when I say we want a strong man to rescue us," Kelly said
Image credits: CNN-News18
Kelly accused Los Angeles officials of diverting resources from fire prevention in favor of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies.
"They should all be fired," she said after playing clips of Crowley and Larson talking about initiatives to increase diversity within the LAFD.
"Any time you spent, fire chief, worrying about this, making sure you had the staff for DEI and amassed the staff for that, while you're short firefighters, you should be fired."
Image credits: Los Angeles Fire Department
However, according to Mike Beasley, who leads the board of Firefighters United for Safety Ethics and Ecology, there is no evidence that DEI policies have impacted efforts to combat the devastating wildfires.
"There is no number of people that will stop all the fires in the middle of a hot, dry season with the climate-charged fuel aridity. There just isn't," Beasley told NPR.
"With these Santa Ana winds happening, it's just about getting people out of the way. It's not really about putting the fire out until the winds calm down."
Several factors explain the extent of damage a wildfire can cause, Beasley said, including firefighting budgets, water management, housing development, insurance, and outdated infrastructure.
Larson previously sparked controversy after suggesting fire victims "got themselves in the wrong place"
Still, the budget cuts to the LAFP remain a concern for a significant portion of the population, including Crowley.
In December 2024, the fire chief wrote a memo saying that the decision "adversely affected the Department's ability to maintain core operations, such as technology and communication infrastructure, payroll processing, training, fire prevention, and community education."
Crowley also noted there was a $7 million reduction in overtime pay.
Image credits: megynkelly
According to City Controller Kenneth Mejia, Los Angeles cut its LAFD's funding by $17.6 million in the 2025 fiscal year, which started on July 1, 2024.
The LAFD saw the second-largest cut compared to the city's other departments, next to street services.
Kelly accused LA officials of diverting resources from fire prevention in favor of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies
Crowley addressed the issue again when she criticized Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for cutting funding to the fire department. "My message is the fire department needs to be properly funded," she said last Friday (January 10). "It's not. Any budget cut is going to impact our ability to provide service."
Mayor Bass had said during a press conference the previous day that the reductions "did not impact what we've been going through over the last few days."
Mayor Bass had said during a press conference the previous day that the reductions "did not impact what we've been going through over the last few days."
Fires across the Los Angeles area have killed at least 25 people and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
"If I ever need rescuing, I don't care what gender shows up as long as they're physically able and well trained," one Redditor wrote
