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
Episode of The Megyn Kelly Show · November 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.
Summary
Megyn Kelly opened with Russell Brand's sentencing to ten and a half years in prison after a London jury convicted him of rape and sexual assault. British comedian Samantha Pressdee, who said she met Brand in 2006 and later worked with him as an activist, argued that the claim of an "open secret" about Brand was false, since no one in the comedy industry ever warned her about him. She described the case as driven by a feminist "believe women" narrative and cancel culture, said Brand had not received a fair trial, and vouched for his Christian conversion. Kelly criticized the testimony of Complainant 5, played a clip of Charlie Kirk calling the case a satanic attack, and expressed concern about the conditions in the prison where Brand is held.
Kelly then covered a video of Ole Miss students making monkey noises at a Black student's door. She said parts of the students' defense seemed implausible and that continued gestures after a confrontation would be unambiguously racist, but she argued that national media gave the story far more attention than the killing of 15-year-old Austin Payne in Albany, Georgia. She also objected to coverage of student Elena Kunis's grandfather's car dealership.
Kelly called Alina Habba a grifter over a reported $50 million general-counsel deal with a company tied to a pardoned Venezuelan billionaire and predicted she would be subpoenaed by the incoming Democratic Congress. She criticized DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin's interview with Laura Ingraham on possible immigration deals as amounting to amnesty, and reported that Thomas Markle Sr. had allegedly cut off his ankle monitor and was jailed without bond, noting Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's call for the death penalty and the Philippine police's apology to Thomas Markle Jr.
In the final segment, Heather Mac Donald discussed the Boston Symphony Orchestra's firing of conductor Andris Nelsons after he sought to restore "artistic excellence" to the strategic plan. She blamed CEO Chad Smith and a swollen administrative class pursuing diversity goals, described musicians' protests with red flowers, and argued that classical music should let listeners lose themselves in the composer rather than see themselves reflected.
Chapters
- 0:00
Russell Brand sentencing
Kelly reports Brand's sentence, new accusers, and the media's portrayal of him as a rapist.
- 4:33
Pressdee's friendship with Brand
Pressdee recounts meeting Brand in 2006 and disputes the claim that his behavior was an open secret.
- 7:24
Cancel culture and the case
Pressdee links the case to the 'believe women' narrative, the cancellations of Graham Linehan and Ian McNabb, and UK free speech.
- 13:59
Complainant 5 and the documentary
Kelly and Pressdee critique Complainant 5's account and journalists' approaches, including a clip of Georgina Baillie.
- 21:52
Charlie Kirk clip and Brand's conversion
Kelly plays Kirk's remarks to Brand and Pressdee vouches for his Christian faith.
- 27:03
Prison conditions and Kelly's reflections
Kelly describes the prison, a threat from another inmate, and her own reevaluation of Brand.
- 35:32
Ole Miss monkey-noise video
Kelly reviews the video, the students' accounts, and Elena Kunis's statement.
- 47:27
Media double standard and Austin Payne
Kelly contrasts coverage of the Ole Miss incident with the killing of Austin Payne and criticizes coverage of Kunis's grandfather.
- 59:46
Alina Habba and Concord Partners
Kelly details Habba's reported $50 million deal, her firing, and her marriage, and predicts a congressional subpoena.
- 1:06:55
Immigration and amnesty
Kelly criticizes DHS Secretary Mullin's interview on possible deals for some illegal immigrants.
- 1:09:42
Thomas Markle Sr. back in jail
Kelly reports that Markle allegedly cut off his ankle monitor, Luna's death-penalty call, and the Philippine police's apology to Markle Jr.
- 1:19:48
Boston Symphony fires Andris Nelsons
Mac Donald explains how Nelsons's push for artistic excellence led to his firing under CEO Chad Smith.
Linked moment · 1:32:18Skip to 1:32:18 using a listen link in the info box.
1:32:18Narcissism in academia and the arts
Kelly and Mac Donald discuss syllabus protests, blind auditions, and adult deference to students.
- 1:37:11
Chad Smith's defense and musician protests
Mac Donald rebuts Smith's radio remarks and describes orchestra protests and the purpose of classical music.
Key points
What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.
- Samantha Pressdee
Pressdee argues that the claim that Brand's behavior was an open secret is false because no one ever warned her about him.
“And not one single person ever warned me to be careful around Russell Brand. So I don't buy the open secret”
- Samantha Pressdee
Pressdee believes journalists planted the open-secret narrative, which she first heard from comedian Alfie Brown in 2023.
“I think journalists planted the narrative because the first I heard of it was from the comedian Alfie Brown”
- Samantha Pressdee
Pressdee contends that Brand did not receive a fair trial and that guilt was not really proven.
“Russell has not had a fair trial. Instead of being thought of as innocent until proven guilty, no guilt has really been proven”
- Samantha Pressdee
Pressdee says the UK comedy industry has been captured by a leftist ideology she calls fake feminism.
“The comedy industry has been completely captured for years by this leftist, fake feminist ideology”
- Samantha Pressdee
Pressdee suggests that some of the new accusers may be opportunists responding to the documentary and police appeals.
“after a documentary and the police coming out of the court and appealing for more people to come forward, I think opportunists are likely to jump on this bandwagon”
- Samantha Pressdee
Pressdee says she offered to be a character witness for Brand but his lawyers never replied.
“And I said, look, I can be a character witness if you need me”
- Samantha Pressdee
Pressdee vouches for the sincerity of Brand's Christian conversion from first-hand experience.
“So I know that his walk with Christ is 100% genuine”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues that the media turned on Brand only after he changed his politics and criticized COVID policies.
“It was only when he changed his politics, got outspoken on things like COVID lockdowns and vaccines, big government overreach, that they started to turn on him”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly calls Brand's conviction and sentence unjust.
“I think it is disgustingly unjust that he's been found guilty of these absurd allegations and is going to prison for nearly 10 years for them”
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly expresses doubt that the students made the gestures at a random door without knowing who lived there.
“I do find it a stretch to believe these girls were randomly making monkey noises and gestures outside of any old apartment door”
Listen from 44:57 · University of Mississippi racial incident
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly argues that the media ignores Black-on-white killings like Austin Payne's because, given crime statistics, it sees them as unremarkable.
“Because the media understands, unfortunately, giving the crime statistics, that that is a dog bites man story”
Listen from 48:38 · Media credibility and independent journalism
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly calls Habba a grifter who used her association with Trump for personal gain.
“my opinion is this woman cashed in. She's a grifter. She obviously saw her association with Trump as a piggy bank”
- Megyn KellyPrediction · due Dec 2027
Kelly predicts that Habba will be among the first people subpoenaed by the incoming Democratic-controlled Congress.
“I think she's in some trouble and she will be one of the first people to get subpoenaed by the new Democrat Congress”
- Markwayne Mullin
Mullin insists that there is no change in Trump's immigration policy and that amnesty is not on the table.
“We're still going after the worst of the worst, and amnesty will never be on the table”
Listen from 1:08:42 · Illegal immigration to the United States
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly says that opponents of amnesty have good reason to worry after Mullin's interview.
“I think all of us who don't want amnesty because it leads to more illegal immigration have more than fair reason to be concerned here”
Listen from 1:10:13 · Illegal immigration to the United States
- Megyn Kelly
Kelly says that the Philippine police's mistaken naming of Thomas Markle Jr. shows why it is good the FBI is leading the case.
“The Filipino authorities, this is why it's good that the FBI is handling the charges and taking the lead in the case against Thomas Sr”
- Heather Mac Donald
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”
- Heather Mac Donald
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”
- Heather Mac Donald
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”
- Heather Mac Donald
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?”
- Chad Smith
Smith says that the BSO had to change what it programs in order to serve its communities more inclusively.
“the only way for us to move forward was to think differently about what it is that we put on our stages”
- Heather Mac Donald
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”
People
In the conversation
- Megyn KellyConservative broadcaster and podcaster
- Samantha PressdeeBritish stand-up comedian and longtime friend of Russell Brand
- Heather Mac DonaldManhattan Institute fellow and City Journal writer on culture and classical music
- Markwayne MullinSecretary of Homeland Security
- Chad Smith
Discussed
- Russell BrandBritish comedian convicted of rape and sexual assault
- Graham LinehanIrish comedy writer of Father Ted, arrested over posts on transgender issues
- Ian McNabbIcicle Works musician whose tour was canceled after he defended Brand
- Alfie BrownBritish comedian who spoke on stage about Brand
- Charlie KirkAmerican conservative activist and podcast host assassinated in September 2025
- Elena KunisOle Miss freshman seen in the doorbell video
- Austin Payne15-year-old killed in Albany, Georgia, on Halloween
- Karmelo AnthonyTexas teen on trial for the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf
- Alina HabbaFormer Trump lawyer and former U.S. attorney for New Jersey
- Richard GrenellFormer acting Director of National Intelligence and former Kennedy Center director
- Thomas MarkleMeghan Markle's father, under child abuse investigation
- Thomas Markle Jr.Meghan Markle's half-brother, now a person of interest in Philippine probe
- Anna Paulina LunaU.S. Representative who signed the letter requesting release of UAP videos
- Andris NelsonsLatvian conductor fired by the Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Bryan StevensonAmerican lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative
- Donald TrumpPresident of the United States whose conduct of the Iran war is the episode's main subject
Topics
- Russell Brand rape trial
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Cancel culture
- University of Mississippi racial incident
- Killing of Austin Payne
- Alina Habba
- Thomas Markle child sexual abuse case
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Media credibility and independent journalism
- Freedom of speech in the United Kingdom
- Illegal immigration to the United States
- Tanglewood
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From the publisher
Megyn Kelly is joined by comedian Samantha Pressdee to discuss her longtime friendship with Russell Brand, the false campaign against him, how the idea that Brand being a criminal was an "open secret" is a lie, the truth about how the campaign against Russell Brand started, how he changed his politics and fought the system and then the system came after him, Charlie Kirk's comments about Brand the month before he died, and more. Then Megyn dives into the corporate media focusing on the "monkey" Ole Miss female students incident, how the media is blowing up the story to try to push a racism narrative, what we know about what actually happened and what we still don't, the new details we're learning about the Alina Habba $50 million grift, the sketchy details of her marriage to a young billionaire, how she could be heading to a Congressional hearing very soon, Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle cutting off his ankle monitor, how he was sent back to jail without bond, a congresswoman floating the idea of the death penalty over his crimes, and more. Then Heather Mac Donald, fellow at the Manhattan Institute, joins to discuss the narcissism of the leadership class in the arts, an orchestra firing a conductor for pushing “artistic excellence” over diversity, the push by some to stop playing music from white men, and more. Pressdee- https://x.com/SammiePressdee Mac Donald- https://x.com/hmdatmi Tax Relief Advocates: End your tax nightmare today by visiting us online at https://TRA.com or call 800-575-6845 Glacier Security App: Privacy isn't paranoia. It's protection. Get 20% off your first 3 months at https://theglacierapp.com/megyn and use code MEGYN at checkout. Ethos: Protect your family’s future with fast, online life insurance from Ethos—get a free quote in minutes at https://Ethos.com/MK Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com Byrna: Go to https://Byrna.com or your local Sportsman's Warehouse today.
Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on November 12, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.