Heather Mac Donald
Manhattan Institute fellow and City Journal writer on culture and classical music
Heather Mac Donald (Manhattan Institute fellow and City Journal writer on culture and classical music) has appeared as a guest on 1 episode in TMT. Topics they speak about most include Boston Symphony Orchestra, Diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In their words
Positions and remarks grouped by topic, each with the exact quote and where it was said.
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Mac Donald accuses Smith of lying, saying that ticket sales rose under Nelsons.
“the guy is lying through his teeth because audience membership, buying tickets increased under Nilsson's”
The Megyn Kelly Show: Russell Brand's Friend on the TRUTH, Meghan Markle's Father Back in Jail, and Diversity Over Excellence in Culture, with Heather Mac Donald | Ep. 1439 (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:38:21
Mac Donald says that BSO administrators now roughly equal musicians in number, driving up costs and ticket prices.
“Currently, the ratio of administrators to musicians is about 1 to 1. There's about 100 administrators now to 100 musicians”
The Megyn Kelly Show: Russell Brand's Friend on the TRUTH, Meghan Markle's Father Back in Jail, and Diversity Over Excellence in Culture, with Heather Mac Donald | Ep. 1439 (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:28:30
Mac Donald says that Nelsons was pushed out after asking to restore 'artistic excellence' to the strategic plan.
“he wanted to restore a key phrase that had been deleted from the strategic plan, which was to make artistic excellence at the core of what the BSO does”
The Megyn Kelly Show: Russell Brand's Friend on the TRUTH, Meghan Markle's Father Back in Jail, and Diversity Over Excellence in Culture, with Heather Mac Donald | Ep. 1439 (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:25:26
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Mac Donald recommends lowering ticket prices as a better path to a diverse audience.
“If you want a diverse audience, how about you lower your ticket prices?”
The Megyn Kelly Show: Russell Brand's Friend on the TRUTH, Meghan Markle's Father Back in Jail, and Diversity Over Excellence in Culture, with Heather Mac Donald | Ep. 1439 (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:28:55
Mac Donald argues that arts leaders prefer peer approval for fighting injustice over preserving civilization.
“would rather get approval from their peers for fighting phantom, at this point, injustice than fulfill their paramount duty, which is to keep civilization going”
The Megyn Kelly Show: Russell Brand's Friend on the TRUTH, Meghan Markle's Father Back in Jail, and Diversity Over Excellence in Culture, with Heather Mac Donald | Ep. 1439 (Nov 11, 2026) · Listen from 1:23:34
Appearances
Russell Brand's Friend on the TRUTH, Meghan Markle's Father Back in Jail, and Diversity Over Excellence in Culture, with Heather Mac Donald | Ep. 1439The Megyn Kelly Show · Nov 11, 2026 · 1 h 43 min
Megyn Kelly talks with comedian Samantha Pressdee about Russell Brand's conviction, covers the Ole Miss incident, Alina Habba and Thomas Markle, then discusses the Boston Symphony's conductor firing with Heather Mac Donald.
Often appears with
- Megyn Kelly · 1 shared episode
- Samantha Pressdee · 1 shared episode
- Markwayne Mullin · 1 shared episode
- Chad Smith · 1 shared episode