Alex Murdaugh Convictions OVERTURNED, with Vinnie Politan and Charlie Condon, and the TRUTH About the "Sex Recession," with Dr. Debra Soh | Ep. 1316

Episode of The Megyn Kelly Show · May 13, 2026 · 2 h 13 min

Megyn Kelly discusses the overturning of Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions with Vinnie Politan and Charlie Condon, then the 'sex recession' with Debra Soh.

Summary

Megyn Kelly opened with breaking news that the South Carolina Supreme Court had unanimously reversed Alex Murdaugh's double murder convictions, finding that Colleton County Clerk of Court Becky Hill had improperly influenced the jury. Kelly, Vinnie Politan and Charlie Condon reviewed the evidence of Hill's comments to jurors, including testimony from Juror Z and the dismissed "egg juror." Kelly argued Hill was a pathological liar motivated by book sales, while Politan and Condon described her as a small-town official who was overwhelmed by the case. Condon said the ruling clarified South Carolina law by adopting the Remmer v. United States standard.

The panel discussed what comes next: Condon reported that all attorney general candidates pledged to re-prosecute, and both guests expected a retrial, likely in Colleton County. Condon predicted Murdaugh would not testify again and that the defense would have an advantage, while Politan expected the defense to seek jurors who had not made up their minds. They also touched on surviving son Buster Murdaugh.

In the second half, Debra Soh discussed her book Sextinction, arguing that the decline in sex is real and global, driven by women's rising success combined with hypergamy, suppressed male achievement, social media, early pornography exposure, SSRIs and low testosterone. Kelly and Soh discussed OnlyFans creator Lily Phillips, podcaster Alex Cooper, and Soh's view that Bryon Noem's reported behavior reflected autogynephilia, masochism and exhibitionism. Kelly also raised the renewed Michael Jackson abuse allegations and the Jared Fogle case, prompting Soh to describe grooming warning signs and to argue that pedophilia is biologically rooted. Soh closed with advice to meet people in person, limit social media, and help young men recover.

Chapters

  1. 0:00

    Murdaugh convictions reversed

    Kelly announces the South Carolina Supreme Court's unanimous reversal and explains the court clerk's interference.

  2. 6:32

    Guest reactions and Becky Hill's character

    Condon and Politan react to the ruling and debate with Kelly whether Hill was naive or dishonest.

  3. 14:39

    Juror testimony and the legal standard

    The panel reviews Juror Z's testimony, the legal standard for jury tampering, and Hill's plagiarized book.

  4. 29:38

    The egg juror revelations

    Kelly plays oral argument audio about Hill's alleged comments to the dismissed egg juror.

  5. 34:19

    What happens next: retrial and strategy

    The guests discuss re-prosecution, plea deals, defense funding, venue, and how the defense may change tactics.

  6. 49:06

    Buster Murdaugh

    The panel discusses the surviving son's current life and his status as a victim.

  7. 52:14

    Debra Soh on the sex recession

    Soh explains evidence for the global decline in sex and the role of hypergamy and the three sixes rule.

  8. 59:31

    SSRIs, social media and body image

    Kelly and Soh discuss antidepressants, social media's effect on desirability, cosmetic trends and Demi Moore.

  9. 1:11:34

    OnlyFans, pornography and Alex Cooper

    Discussion of Lily Phillips, early porn exposure, choking trends, and Alex Cooper's dating advice.

  10. 1:27:53

    Bryon Noem, Toobin and exhibitionism

    Soh analyzes reports about Bryon Noem as autogynephilia and exhibitionism, and the discussion extends to Jeffrey Toobin and an Oxford lecturer.

  11. 1:41:27

    Michael Jackson, grooming and pedophilia

    Kelly recounts the Cascio family allegations and Jared Fogle tape, and Soh describes grooming signs and the biology of pedophilia.

  12. 2:04:40

    Solutions to the sex recession

    Soh discusses gender polarization, biological factors, and advice to meet in person and help young men.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

  • Charlie Condon

    Condon said the reversal was expected because the justices had signaled their view at oral argument, though the unanimity surprised him.

    “the decision was not surprising because the court telegraphed its feelings during the oral arguments”

    Listen from 7:35 · Alex Murdaugh murder trial

  • Vinnie Politan

    Politan argued that Becky Hill was naive and overwhelmed rather than malicious.

    “She was very naive. I don't think she understood it. She was relatively newly elected in the position and was in over her head”

    Listen from 8:15 · Jury tampering

  • Megyn Kelly

    Kelly argued that Becky Hill did not make a good-faith mistake but repeatedly lied, including under oath.

    “I firmly believe that Becky Hill is a pathological liar. She's lied repeatedly. She's lied under oath when caught here”

    Listen from 10:20 · Jury tampering

  • Charlie Condon

    Condon said the ruling clarified South Carolina's previously murky jury-tampering law by adopting the Remmer standard.

    “The Remmer versus the United States applies. There's a three-step analysis you have to go through when there's this type of contact with the jurors”

    Listen from 12:28 · Remmer v. United States

  • Vinnie Politan

    Politan predicted prosecutors would have to rein in the financial-crimes evidence at a retrial.

    “I think prosecutors will have to pull back a little bit in the way that they present some of the financial crime evidence in the case”

    Listen from 29:09 · Alex Murdaugh murder trial

  • Charlie Condon

    Condon reported that every candidate for South Carolina attorney general has pledged to re-prosecute Murdaugh.

    “all of the candidates running for attorney general have said that they would re-prosecute this defendant”

    Listen from 34:52 · Alex Murdaugh murder trial

  • Vinnie Politan

    Politan said Murdaugh would never accept a plea deal admitting to the murders.

    “he'll ever admit to murdering his wife and his son. He'll never do that”

    Listen from 35:32 · Alex Murdaugh murder trial

  • Charlie Condon

    Condon said that, unlike most retrials, this one would favor the defense and that Murdaugh likely would not testify again.

    “I do think the defendant will not testify next time”

    Listen from 43:30 · Alex Murdaugh murder trial

  • Vinnie Politan

    Politan argued the defense's best chance is a jury made up of people who have not formed an opinion despite the publicity.

    “the defense is going to double down and try to find 12 egg ladies to be in that jury box”

    Listen from 45:22 · Alex Murdaugh murder trial

  • Debra Soh

    Soh said the sex recession is real and global, especially among millennial and Gen Z men.

    “the statistic I keep seeing is one in three men and one in five women have not had sex in the past year”

    Listen from 54:33 · Sex recession

  • Debra Soh

    Soh argued that female hypergamy combined with suppressed male success leaves a small pool of desirable men and shuts others out of dating.

    “So these highly successful men basically get their pick of women in terms of no matter how successful a woman is, all women are fighting for this smaller pool of men”

    Listen from 56:00 · Hypergamy

  • Debra Soh

    Soh argued that the prevalence of choking during sex among Gen Z is driven mainly by pornography rather than organic preference.

    “I don't believe this is an organic preference that this generation just happens to have. I do think this is mostly from pornography”

    Listen from 1:17:57 · Pornography exposure in children

  • Debra Soh

    Soh retracted her earlier view that paraphilias should be destigmatized, citing research for her new book.

    “I said that this is something that should be destigmatized. I completely take that back”

    Listen from 1:17:57 · Sextinction

  • Debra Soh

    Soh said children are first exposed to pornography at very young ages due to smartphones.

    “The average age at which kids are exposed to porn is 12. One in seven kids sees porn for the first time at age 10 or younger”

    Listen from 1:17:59 · Pornography exposure in children

  • Megyn Kelly

    Kelly criticized Alex Cooper's advice about sex on a first date as dangerous for young women.

    “That, to me, is actual dangerous talk, is trying to normalize that kind of behavior for your average young woman”

    Listen from 1:22:13 · Sex recession

  • Linked moment · 1:27:53Skip to 1:27:53 using a listen link in the info box.

    Debra Soh

    Soh, while noting she does not know him, said Bryon Noem's reported behavior fits autogynephilia as described in the research literature.

    “So autogynephilia in that, Some men find it sexually arousing to have the body of a woman”

    Listen from 1:29:14 · Autogynephilia

  • Debra Soh

    Soh suggested exhibitionists who include their faces in sexual images may subconsciously want to be caught.

    “But in some cases, they want to get caught. The joy is, again, a masochistic element of”

    Listen from 1:31:14 · Autogynephilia

  • Megyn Kelly

    Kelly said the Cascio family's allegations would be more credible if they were not tied to a lawsuit against the Jackson estate.

    “it would make it a lot cleaner and more credible if they just said, this happened to us and we want you to know”

    Listen from 1:44:54 · Michael Jackson child sexual abuse allegations

  • Debra Soh

    Soh said that a grown man sleeping in a bed with children not his own is a strong indicator of pedophilia.

    “sleeping with these children in his bed, That to me is a very, very large indicator of pedophilia”

    Listen from 1:49:47 · Michael Jackson child sexual abuse allegations

  • Debra Soh

    Soh argued that pedophilia is biological and rooted in brain structure rather than caused by childhood abuse.

    “And there are differences in the structure of their brain in terms of why they are attracted to kids”

    Listen from 1:50:46 · Child grooming

  • Debra Soh

    Soh said early feminism was positive but that modern feminism has gone too far, fueling polarization between young men and women.

    “I do believe feminism has gone too far in its modern iteration in that it, in some cases, advocates for hating men”

    Listen from 2:06:26 · Feminism

  • Debra Soh

    Soh recommended meeting people in person rather than on apps or social media.

    “So I would say in general, meet in real life. Don't be on apps. Don't be on social media”

    Listen from 2:10:19 · Sex recession

People

In the conversation

  • Megyn KellyConservative broadcaster and podcaster
  • Charlie CondonFormer South Carolina Attorney General and criminal defense attorney
  • Vinnie PolitanCourt TV lead anchor and host of Vinnie Politan Investigates
  • Debra SohSex neuroscientist and author of Sextinction and The End of Gender

Discussed

  • Alex MurdaughFormer South Carolina attorney whose double murder convictions were overturned
  • Becky HillFormer Colleton County Clerk of Court found to have influenced the Murdaugh jury
  • Jean ToalFormer Chief Justice of South Carolina who denied Murdaugh's new-trial motion
  • Dick HarpootlianDefense attorney for Alex Murdaugh
  • Paul MurdaughAlex Murdaugh's son, murdered in 2021
  • Maggie MurdaughAlex Murdaugh's wife, murdered in 2021
  • Buster MurdaughSurviving son of Alex Murdaugh
  • Mallory BeachTeenager killed in the 2019 boat crash involving Paul Murdaugh
  • Holly HonderichBBC journalist whose draft Becky Hill plagiarized
  • Alan WilsonSouth Carolina Attorney General
  • Bryon NoemKristi Noem's husband, reported to have paid models in a fetish arrangement
  • Kristi NoemU.S. Secretary of Homeland Security discussed in connection with a DHS contract scandal
  • Alex CooperAmerican podcaster and media entrepreneur, host of Call Her Daddy
  • Andrew SchulzComedian cited by Kelly on male attitudes to women's bodies
  • Demi MooreActress whose thin appearance at Cannes Kelly criticized
  • Jeffrey ToobinFormer CNN legal analyst caught exposing himself on a Zoom call
  • Michael JacksonAmerican pop musician Druski names as who he would want to be in another life
  • Joe JacksonFather and manager of the Jackson family, parodied in a Druski sketch
  • Jared FogleFormer Subway spokesman convicted of child sex crimes
  • Bonnie BlueAdult content creator mentioned as Lily Phillips' competitor

Topics

More from The Megyn Kelly Show

From the publisher

Megyn Kelly is joined by Vinnie Politan, host "Vinnie Politan Investigates," and Charlie Condon, former South Carolina Attorney General, to discuss the breaking news that Alex Murdaugh's double murder convictions was overturned, the influence of court clerk Becky Hill on the jury that led to this decision, the ways jurors described Becky Hill improperly commenting on the case during the trial, what her motivations may have been, what happens next with the case and whether there will be a new trial, and more. Then Dr. Debra Soh, author of "Sextinction," joins to discuss why the success women have enjoyed in society has led to higher standards when it comes to men, the impact this has had on a "sex recession" among Gen Z and millennials, how social media has made men and women feel less sexually desirable, the way it suppresses the sexual urges of young people entirely, what's really behind Kristi Noem's husband Bryon's bizarre fetish, whether Noem actually wanted to be caught, the truth about Michael Jackson, and more. Politan- https://www.youtube.com/@vinniepolitan1 Condon- https://x.com/CharlieCondon Soh- https://www.drdebrasoh.com/ Veracity Health: Head to https://VeracityHealth.co and use code Megyn for up to 65% off your order Quo: Make this the season where no opportunity slips away. Try QUO for free PLUS get 20% off your first 6 months when you go to https://www.Quo.com/MK Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 for a free info kit and to see if you qualify for up to $10,000 back through May 29. Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: True Crime·Relationships·Sexuality