Megyn Kelly expresses horror, sympathy over Pizzagate in first interview with Comet Ping Pong owner
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Megyn Kelly expressed disbelief, horror, and sympathy in an exclusive first interview with Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis following the Pizzagate scare that erupted two weeks ago. Alefantis and the staff of his restaurant were targeted by a gunman after a viral fake news story suggested Bill and Hillary Clinton ran a child sex ring out of their D.C. pizza parlor; no one was injured.
"When people talk about fake news, you know, a lot of folks just roll their eyes, like 'oh, you know, whatever, people will figure it out.' The truth is, they don't always figure it out," Kelly told Alefantis. "And someone could have been killed inside of your restaurant for no good reason other than people like Alex Jones fanned a conspiracy theory that even the D.C. police say has no basis in fact."
"This has real consequences," Alefantis agreed. "My staff lives in fear. My staff are the bravest people I've ever met … Imagine someone coming to your work place with an assault rife."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"And to be accused of being a pedophile because you have emails that talk about pizza," Kelly said, in utter disbelief. "When you run a pizza parlor. I mean, they're like, 'the word 'pizza' seems out of place' — it's really gone down the rabbit hole."
Kelly also gave Alefantis an opportunity to explain an Instagram photo that conspiracy theorists had cited as evidence of the sex ring, but not without offering this preface: "You're a Democratic donor. There's nothing illegal about that. It doesn't make you a pedophile or somebody who's part of a child sex ring." Watch below. Jeva Lange
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
What to know before filing your own taxes for the first timethe explainer Tackle this financial milestone with confidence
-
The biggest box office flops of the 21st centuryin depth Unnecessary remakes and turgid, expensive CGI-fests highlight this list of these most notorious box-office losers
-
The 10 most infamous abductions in modern historyin depth The taking of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy, is the latest in a long string of high-profile kidnappings
-
Judge blocks Hegseth from punishing Kelly over videoSpeed Read Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed for the senator to be demoted over a video in which he reminds military officials they should refuse illegal orders
-
Trump’s EPA kills legal basis for federal climate policySpeed Read The government’s authority to regulate several planet-warming pollutants has been repealed
-
House votes to end Trump’s Canada tariffsSpeed Read Six Republicans joined with Democrats to repeal the president’s tariffs
-
Bondi, Democrats clash over Epstein in hearingSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi ignored survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and demanded that Democrats apologize to Trump
-
El Paso airspace closure tied to FAA-Pentagon standoffSpeed Read The closure in the Texas border city stemmed from disagreements between the Federal Aviation Administration and Pentagon officials over drone-related tests
-
Judge blocks Trump suit for Michigan voter rollsSpeed Read A Trump-appointed federal judge rejected the administration’s demand for voters’ personal data
-
US to send 200 troops to Nigeria to train armySpeed Read Trump has accused the West African government of failing to protect Christians from terrorist attacks
-
Grand jury rejects charging 6 Democrats for ‘orders’ videoSpeed Read The jury refused to indict Democratic lawmakers for a video in which they urged military members to resist illegal orders
