Katie Porter MELTDOWN, and Obama's Marriage Tension, with Sohrab Ahmari and Sean Davis, Plus Justice Gorsuch on America's 250th Birthday | Ep. 1311

Episode of The Megyn Kelly Show · May 6, 2026 · 1 h 41 min

Megyn Kelly, Sohrab Ahmari and Sean Davis discuss the California governor debate, Obama and Iran; Justice Neil Gorsuch discusses his book Heroes of 1776.

Summary

Megyn Kelly opened the episode with highlights from the 2026 California gubernatorial debate, focusing on Katie Porter's self-mocking "get out of my shot" ad, her emotional response to questions about her temperament, her exchange with Chad Bianco, her support for state-funded health care for undocumented immigrants, and Tom Steyer's call to abolish ICE. Kelly contrasted these with Steve Hilton's position on immigration enforcement.

Sohrab Ahmari and Sean Davis then joined. Davis argued that Democrats in California and nationally rely on illegal immigration, while Ahmari noted that the debate focused more on material issues than in 2020 but argued that mass immigration undermines labor and New Deal-style policies. The panel discussed a New Yorker profile of Barack Obama and his marriage, with Ahmari arguing Obama changed little from the Bush era and Davis accusing Obama of hypocrisy on politicizing the justice system given Russiagate. They also discussed a reported 14-point U.S.-Iran deal, rising gas and diesel prices, and Trump's record-low approval rating; both guests called the war tragic.

In the second hour Justice Neil Gorsuch discussed Heroes of 1776, co-written with Janie Nitze, recounting figures such as Caesar Rodney, Emily Geiger and Thomas Nelson and the reconciliation of Adams and Jefferson. He urged young conservatives to educate themselves before speaking out and then to show courage, described collegiality on the Supreme Court, and declined to say whether the Dobbs leak rattled him, stressing a balance between transparency and private deliberation.

Kelly closed with commentary on Kim Kardashian abandoning her bar exam pursuit, reporting on Blake Lively attending the Met Gala alone after settling with Justin Baldoni, and new developments in the JPMorgan case, including a declined criminal investigation, a rejected $1 million settlement offer, and a categorical denial from Lorna Hajdini.

Chapters

0:00
Show open and preview
Kelly previews the Blake Lively news, the Gorsuch interview, and the California governor debate.
2:51
Katie Porter's debate night
Kelly reviews the candidate field, Porter's staffer controversy, her self-mocking ad and her emotional response on temperament.
12:36
Health care, Bianco clash and 'Trump sucks'
Porter backs health care for undocumented immigrants, spars with Chad Bianco, and attacks Trump.
17:59
Steyer on ICE and Hilton on immigration
Tom Steyer calls ICE criminal and urges its abolition while Steve Hilton backs cooperation with federal enforcement.
23:41
Panel on Porter and California Democrats
Davis and Ahmari discuss Porter, Democrats' reliance on immigration, and California's economic and governance problems.
32:24
Obama's New Yorker profile and legacy
The panel discusses tension in the Obama marriage and Ahmari's view that Obama's presidency changed little.
37:03
Obama on politicized prosecutions
Davis accuses Obama of hypocrisy over lawfare given Russiagate.
39:51
Iran deal reports, gas prices and polling
The panel weighs a reported U.S.-Iran deal, surging fuel prices and Trump's record-low approval.
51:57
Justice Gorsuch on Heroes of 1776
Gorsuch discusses the radical ideas of the Declaration and lesser-known revolutionary heroes.
1:04:23
Gorsuch's background and advice to young conservatives
Gorsuch recounts his upbringing and urges students to learn first and then speak with courage.
1:15:13
Court collegiality, the Dobbs leak and lightning round
Gorsuch describes relations among the justices, balances transparency and privacy, and answers personal questions.
1:27:22
Kardashian and Lively at the Met Gala
Kelly covers Kim Kardashian quitting the bar exam and reporting on why Blake Lively attended the Met Gala alone.
1:32:16
JPMorgan lawsuit update
Kelly reviews the declined criminal probe, a rejected $1 million offer and Lorna Hajdini's denial.

Key points

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

Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues Porter's self-mocking ad came too late to be effective, though mocking herself was the only winning move.
“she's finally come around to the obvious fact that the only winning move was to make fun of herself”
Listen from 2:51 · 2026 California gubernatorial election
Sean Davis
Davis argues that the California and national Democratic parties depend on illegal immigration as their foundation.
“She fits in perfectly with the California Democrat Party because they understand, as the National Democrat Party does, that their foundation is illegal immigration”
Listen from 24:53 · Illegal immigration to the United States
Sohrab Ahmari
Ahmari observes that the debate focused more on material economic issues than Democratic debates did in 2020.
“it's remarkable how much of it was focused on what you might call material questions like health care, like a living wage”
Listen from 26:30 · 2026 California gubernatorial election
Sohrab Ahmari
Ahmari argues business favors undocumented migrants because they depress native-born workers' wages.
“The reason big business loves undocumented migrants is because they put downward pressure on the wages of native born workers”
Listen from 27:52 · Illegal immigration to the United States
Sohrab Ahmari
Ahmari argues Trump's rise was driven by former Obama voters, not racism.
“the most important group that brought Trump to power are white working class people in states like Pennsylvania who were twice Obama voters”
Listen from 35:10 · Presidency of Barack Obama
Sohrab Ahmari
Ahmari argues Obama was largely a foreign-policy hawk who started new wars in Syria and Libya.
“He started two more wars, a proxy war in Syria and a pointless regime change war in Libya, right?”
Listen from 35:43 · Presidency of Barack Obama
Sean Davis
Davis contends Obama's legacies are creating Donald Trump and normalizing lawfare.
“And then the second one is the normalization of lawfare. So I agree with him. Yes, lawfare is awful”
Listen from 39:14 · Trump–Russia investigation
Sohrab Ahmari
Ahmari predicts a reckoning in the Republican Party with the hawks who sold the Iran war.
“So there's going to be a reckoning, I think, in the Republican Party”
Listen from 43:32 · United States war with Iran
Sohrab Ahmari
Ahmari argues the reported Iran deal concedes much merely to restore the pre-war status quo.
“a lot of this seems to be giving up a lot of points to Iran in order to just restore a status quo ante”
Listen from 44:30 · United States war with Iran
Linked moment · 48:40Skip to 48:40 using a listen link in the info box.
Sean Davis
Davis argues the unpopular war makes a Democratic presidency, and thus an Iranian nuclear weapon, more likely.
“if Gavin Newsom gets in or AOC somehow gets into the White House in two and a half, three years, Iran's getting a nuclear weapon”
Listen from 48:40 · United States war with Iran
Megyn Kelly
Kelly calls the Iran war a disaster and urges the administration to exit quickly.
“everyone knows this is a disaster. Please just get out as quickly and as seamlessly as is possible”
Listen from 50:17 · United States war with Iran
Neil Gorsuch
Gorsuch notes that independence was contingent, with only about 40 percent of colonists supporting it in June 1776.
“Only about 40 percent supported independence. Another 20 or 30 percent were were loyalists and the rest were pretty eager to stay out of it”
Listen from 57:29 · United States Declaration of Independence
Neil Gorsuch
Gorsuch highlights that Americans celebrate a document and its ideas rather than a war or battle.
“We celebrate a document with those three great ideas that speak to every one of us”
Listen from 59:32 · United States Declaration of Independence
Neil Gorsuch
Gorsuch advises young people to educate themselves before criticizing and then to stand up with courage.
“Before you criticize, before you say you know how the world should be changed, make sure you know what you're talking about”
Listen from 1:10:19
Neil Gorsuch
Gorsuch says he is an optimist who shares Reagan's view that America's best days are ahead.
“I don't see any reason why we should disagree with Ronald Reagan's assessment today”
Listen from 1:13:10
Neil Gorsuch
Gorsuch recommends assuming good faith and listening to those one disagrees with, as the justices do.
“if you assume they're operating in good faith, I'm not saying everybody is, but start with that assumption and then listen”
Listen from 1:16:09 · Supreme Court of the United States
Neil Gorsuch
Asked about the Dobbs leak, Gorsuch says the court needs private deliberation balanced with transparency.
“I think you have to have room for us to be able to write our drafts, to talk to one another, to deliberate privately”
Listen from 1:18:50 · Supreme Court of the United States
Neil Gorsuch
Gorsuch describes the U.S. as a creedal nation united by the Declaration's ideas rather than religion or ethnicity.
“We are not founded around any religion or any particular ethnicity. What we share is a commitment to those three ideas”
Listen from 1:21:07 · United States Declaration of Independence
Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues the bar exam properly screened out Kim Kardashian.
“The bar exam worked. It's meant to screen out people who have no business practicing law, and she is one of them”
Listen from 1:27:22 · Kim Kardashian's bar exam attempts
Megyn Kelly
Kelly contends Blake Lively has no audience left and her next film will depend on Ryan Reynolds.
“There's just no way the next movie won't either be produced by him or a favor to him because there's no audience for Blake Lively”
Listen from 1:29:46 · Lively v. Wayfarer Studios
Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues plaintiffs alleging sexual misconduct should not be granted anonymity when defendants are named.
“The plaintiff ought to be willing to be identified and to stand behind his or her allegations”
Listen from 1:37:12 · JPMorgan Chase sexual harassment lawsuit

People

In the conversation

Megyn KellyConservative broadcaster and podcaster
Neil GorsuchAssociate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and co-author of Heroes of 1776
Sohrab AhmariU.S. editor of UnHerd and conservative commentator
Sean DavisCEO and co-founder of The Federalist

Discussed

Michelle ObamaFormer First Lady of the United States
Stephen MillerWhite House deputy chief of staff and architect of the administration's immigration agenda
Xavier BecerraFormer U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary and California attorney general running for governor
Gavin NewsomGovernor of California, cited for his 2018 primary strategy
Eric HolderFormer U.S. Attorney General under Obama
Lindsey GrahamU.S. Senator named by Kelly as an advocate for the Iran war
Benjamin NetanyahuPrime Minister of Israel
Janie NitzeFormer Gorsuch clerk and co-author of Heroes of 1776
John AdamsFounding Father and second U.S. president
Thomas JeffersonFounding Father, author of the Declaration and third U.S. president
Caesar RodneyDelaware delegate who rode overnight to vote for independence
Clarence ThomasU.S. Supreme Court justice in the voting rights ruling majority
Ronald ReaganFormer US president to whom Pape compared Trump's political skill
Kim KardashianReality star and businesswoman pursuing a law license
Blake LivelyAmerican actress who sued Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios
Ryan ReynoldsActor and husband of Blake Lively
Justin BaldoniAmerican actor and director of It Ends With Us
Lorna HajdiniJPMorgan Chase executive director accused in a sexual harassment lawsuit
Chirayu RanaFormer JPMorgan banker suing Hajdini and the bank

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From the publisher

Megyn Kelly starts the show by discussing Katie Porter melting down on the California governor debate stage, her awkward attempt at addressing her viral “get out of my shot” moment, Porter sparring with other candidates like Tom Steyer and Chad Bianco, and more. Then Sohrab Ahmari, U.S. editor at Unherd, and Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, join to discuss California Democrats supporting illegals over Americans on the governor debate stage, openly admitting immigrants are the only way California is growing, President Barack Obama admitting Michelle’s thoughts on Trump and politics have hurt his marriage, how little Obama actually did during his presidency, Obama having the nerve to complain about politicizing criminal justice, the latest potential deal with Iran, and more. Then Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, author "Heroes of 1776," joins to discuss what matters most about America’s founding 250 years ago, the need to remember our history so we can appreciate America today, the inspiring relationship between Adams and Jefferson, why young conservatives must have courage to stand by their beliefs, the need to educate yourself before speaking on issues, and more. Then Megyn discusses the real story about why Blake Lively went solo to the Met Gala without Ryan Reynolds, new reporting that the male JP Morgan "sex slave" accuser previously refused to settle for $1 million, the strong denial now from the female exec, and more. Davis- https://thefederalist.com/ Ahmari-https://unherd.com/ Gorsuch- https://www.harpercollins.com/products/heroes-of-1776-neil-gorsuchjanie-nitze?variant=44501274624034 SimpliSafe: Visit https://simplisafe.com/MEGYN to claim 50% off any new system! Done with Debt: https://www.DoneWithDebt.com & tell them Megyn Kelly sent you! Pure Talk: Dial #250 and say keyword MEGYN KELLY to switch to Pure Talk and get unlimited data for just $34.99 a month! Relief Factor: Try the 3-Week QuickStart for just $19.95 at https://ReliefFactor.com or ca…

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 27, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

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