Colbert's Hissy Fit Farewell Tour, Xi's Ominous Comment, and Murdaugh's New Trial, with Glenn Greenwald | Ep. 1318
Episode of The Megyn Kelly Show · May 15, 2026 · 1 h 43 min
Megyn Kelly and Glenn Greenwald discuss Stephen Colbert's farewell, fame, Kamala Harris, Trump's China summit and Iran war, the Murdaugh retrial, and 'pretendians.'
Summary
Megyn Kelly hosted journalist Glenn Greenwald for a wide-ranging Friday episode. They opened by criticizing Stephen Colbert's extended farewell from The Late Show, including a segment in which he and David Letterman smashed CBS furniture. Kelly cited ratings declines from Letterman's 1993 launch through Colbert's tenure and reported losses of about $40 million a year, while Greenwald argued that late-night hosts had recast themselves as anti-Trump political martyrs and lost their broad audience; both noted Greg Gutfeld's ratings lead.
The conversation turned to celebrity and fame. Kelly recommended the new Michael Jackson biopic and asked whether universal stardom is still possible; Greenwald said fame has become fragmented by the internet and politicization, and both praised the mystique of stars such as Greta Garbo and Melania Trump over the overexposure of figures like Charlize Theron.
On politics, they discussed Kamala Harris's call for an 'expanded playbook' after the Supreme Court's Voting Rights Act ruling, with Kelly warning that court expansion and statehood could pass with a simple majority and Greenwald calling Harris an institutionalist pandering to the base. They reviewed Harry Enten's report of Trump's record-low approval, Xi Jinping's invocation of the Thucydides Trap at the Beijing summit, Trump's comments on Chinese students and farmland, and Trump's statement that the Iran war was waged to help Israel and Gulf states. Greenwald argued the war serves only Israel's interests and that the U.S. should withdraw.
Finally, both supported the South Carolina Supreme Court's decision granting Alex Murdaugh a new trial over clerk Becky Hill's jury interference, and Greenwald defended fair-trial rules in the context of Harvey Weinstein's mistrial. They closed with 'pretendian' stories, including the University of Toronto rescinding Buffy Sainte-Marie's honorary degree, Elizabeth Warren, and Sacheen Littlefeather.
Chapters
- 0:00
Colbert's farewell tantrum
Kelly introduces the episode and criticizes Stephen Colbert's long goodbye, playing the clip of him and Letterman destroying CBS furniture.
- 5:12
Late night's collapse and self-importance
Greenwald and Kelly discuss the politicization of late-night TV, ratings decline, and the show's economics.
- 21:37
Kissing guests and Gutfeld
They mock Colbert kissing guests and note Greg Gutfeld's ratings lead and late night's inability to make stars.
- 33:42
Michael Jackson and the nature of fame
Kelly recommends the Michael Jackson biopic and the pair discuss fragmented fame, mystique, and overexposure.
- 46:40
Kamala Harris's expanded playbook
They react to Harris's proposals after the Voting Rights Act ruling and debate what Democrats could do with unified control.
- 57:57
Trump's approval and the Iran war
Harry Enten's polling on Trump's record-low approval prompts discussion of the war's unpopularity and midterm outlook.
- 1:03:31
Xi, the Thucydides Trap, and Chinese students
Kelly discusses Xi's summit remarks and Trump's comments on Chinese students and farmland, and Greenwald analyzes Trump's view of China.
- 1:14:56
Helping Israel and the Strait of Hormuz
They discuss Trump saying the Iran war helps Israel and Gulf states and what would happen if the U.S. withdrew.
- 1:25:17
Murdaugh new trial and Weinstein
Both endorse Murdaugh's new trial over jury interference and discuss fair-trial principles and Weinstein's mistrial.
- 1:34:43
Pretendians
Kelly and Greenwald discuss Buffy Sainte-Marie, Elizabeth Warren, and Sacheen Littlefeather falsely claiming Indigenous identity.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald suggests CBS canceled Colbert partly to avoid liberal programming while it needed things from the Trump administration, though the show also lost money.
“part of why they fired Colbert is because they didn't want very liberal programming on”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly says Colbert's show was losing about $40 million a year, making its continuation professional malpractice.
“they were losing 40 million dollars a year. I mean, 40 million”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues the late-night format's ratings collapsed under Letterman before he handed the show to Colbert.
“The late night format collapsed while David Letterman was at the helm and he knew he was handing everything”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues Colbert's show failed because it only appealed to viewers who shared his anti-Trump politics.
“You would never go to see Stephen Colbert if you weren't sharing his anti-Trump politics. And this is why the show failed”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues networks avoid cheaper online comedians because they cannot control them.
“the reason why they don't just take somebody like that and pay them, you know, one twentieth of what Stephen Colbert is making”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald notes Greg Gutfeld is the top-rated late-night host but is excluded from the other hosts' circle for political reasons.
“The number one rated late night talk show host in the country is Greg Gutfeld”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly recommends the Michael Jackson biopic as family-friendly and highly entertaining.
“It was amazing. I have to say, I highly recommend it. It was supremely entertaining”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues the internet has fragmented fame so that no common cultural gathering point exists anymore.
“It's like fame has become very diffused, very kind of segmented and segregated”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly warns that with unified control and no filibuster, Democrats could add states and Supreme Court seats by simple majority after the next presidential election.
“So we truly could be one election away, not the midterms, but the one after”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald contends Kamala Harris is an establishment institutionalist feigning radicalism to appeal to Democratic voters ahead of 2028.
“Kamala Harris is an institutionalist. She's worked her way up the political system by being as far from a radical as you can be”
Linked moment · 1:00:33Skip to 1:00:33 using a listen link in the info box.
Glenn GreenwaldGreenwald argues there is no exit for Trump because Iran will not meet his demands.
“The Iranians aren't going to give Trump the things he said he needs because they don't feel threatened enough”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald attributes Trump's dismissal of bad polls partly to being surrounded by sycophants.
“I think a lot of this is that Trump is so surrounded by sycophants”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly calls Xi's invocation of the Thucydides Trap in his opening remarks provocative and undiplomatic.
“So the Chinese president raised that in his opening remarks addressing the American president, which is extremely provocative”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly opposes Trump's openness to 500,000 Chinese students staying in the U.S. and Chinese purchases of farmland.
“We don't want them taking up our university slots at our most prestigious universities”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues Trump views Xi as a strong business counterpart rather than an adversary.
“He looks at President Xi, sees like a strong, equal businessman position. And wants to do deals with him”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues the Strait of Hormuz is closed only because the U.S. joined Israel's attack on Iran.
“the only reason the Strait of Hormuz is closed is because the United States joined Israel in attacking Iran”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly says she strongly favors ending U.S. involvement in the Iran war.
“I am so in favor of just wrapping it up for so many reasons”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues that every party except Israel would be fine if the U.S. withdrew from the war.
“So everybody would be fine if they left tomorrow except one country, and that country's name is Israel”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly supports the new trial for Murdaugh despite believing him guilty, citing clerk Becky Hill's interference.
“I think they 100% made the right decision, even though I think he's guilty, because there was a clerk of court named Becky Hill”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues a retrial is warranted when a court officer tries to influence a jury, regardless of guilt.
“I think a retrial is appropriate when you have an officer of the court influencing the jury”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues MeToo-era excesses produced hysteria and legal changes that undermined due process.
“I do think the Me Too excesses produced a lot of hysteria where they changed laws about how long you have to bring cases”
- Glenn Greenwald
Greenwald argues Trump's 'Pocahontas' nickname mocked Warren's false claim rather than Native Americans.
“He was never mocking Native Americans. He was mocking Elizabeth Warren, who's not Native American, for pretending to be Native American”
Listen from 1:40:11 · Elizabeth Warren Native American ancestry controversy
People
In the conversation
- Megyn KellyConservative broadcaster and podcaster
- Glenn GreenwaldAmerican journalist
Discussed
- Stephen ColbertAmerican comedian and host of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- David LettermanLate-night host who competed for The Tonight Show
- Johnny CarsonLongtime Tonight Show host whose chair was the goal of a generation of comics
- Jimmy KimmelABC late-night host targeted by the White House
- Greg GutfeldFox News late-night host
- Michael JacksonAmerican pop musician Druski names as who he would want to be in another life
- Charlize TheronSouth African-American actress cited by Wilson as claiming nerd credentials
- Melania TrumpFirst Lady of the United States who condemned Kimmel's joke
- Xi JinpingGeneral Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and paramount leader of China
- Graham AllisonAuthor of Destined for War
- 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
- Harvey WeinsteinFormer film producer convicted of sex crimes
- Buffy Sainte-MarieSinger-songwriter whose Indigenous identity claims were disputed
- Sacheen LittlefeatherActivist who declined Marlon Brando's Oscar
- Bill O'ReillyFormer Fox News host
- Julia Louis-DreyfusAmerican actress and comedian
Topics
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Late-night television hosting
- United States war with Iran
- Fame
- Louisiana v. Callais
- Donald Trump approval rating
- Donald Trump 2026 visit to China
- Strait of Hormuz
- Alex Murdaugh murder trial
- Buffy Sainte-Marie Indigenous identity controversy
- Michael (2026 film)
- Destined for War
- Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse cases
- Elizabeth Warren Native American ancestry controversy
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From the publisher
Megyn Kelly is joined by Glenn Greenwald, host of "System Update" on Substack, to discuss Stephen Colbert’s embarrassing hissy fit farewell tour destroying CBS furniture with David Letterman, how late night ratings over the past 20 years show the format completely collapsed, why he should just go out like a man, the tens of millions Stephen Colbert is losing for CBS, his bizarre tactics of kissing male and female guests in his final week, how celebrities in 2026 like Charlize Theron have an addiction to attention, how Michael Jackson was for everyone and achieved fame no one anymore can, the chilling comment China President Xi said to President Trump about the Thucydides Trap, how Trump says he's fine with 500,000 Chinese students coming and staying in America and China buying up farmland, Trump saying we’re at war with Iran to help Israel and the Gulf states, what happens if America tries to get out of the war now, whether criminals Alex Murdaugh and Harvey Weinstein deserve new trials, why it's important for everyone in America to get fair trials, and more. More from Greenwald: https://greenwald.substack.com/ Relief Factor: Break up with pain—Relief Factor targets inflammation so you can move better and feel better; try the 3-Week QuickStart for just $19.95 at https://ReliefFactor.com or call 800-4-RELIEF. 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. Byrna: Go to https://Byrna.com or your local Sportsman's Warehouse today. Ethos Life Insurance: Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at: https://ethos.com/MK
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.