In yet another intensification of the national conversation surrounding transgender athletes and fairness in women’s sports, conservative commentator Megyn Kelly has taken aim at Lia Thomas — the first openly transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I championship.

Thomas recently made headlines after speaking out about what she described as “transphobic beliefs” held by women who oppose the inclusion of trans women in female sports divisions.

During a recent episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, the former Fox News and NBC anchor did not hold back.

Blasting Thomas for what she characterized as hypocrisy and entitlement, Kelly responded bluntly: “If you don’t like how women are standing up for fairness, maybe create your own league.”

The firestorm began after Lia Thomas appeared on a podcast in June 2025, where she addressed the growing resistance among women — including former and current athletes — to the participation of transgender women in female sports categories.

Thomas claimed that many of these critics “cloak their transphobia in the guise of fairness,” suggesting that their true motive isn’t protecting fair play, but rather excluding trans athletes based on prejudice.

“The rhetoric is the same — they’re trying to ban trans women from sports because they’re not women. That’s just what it is,” Thomas said in the interview.“It’s rooted in a belief that trans women aren’t real women.”

Her comments sparked immediate backlash, especially from those who believe that sex-based categories in sports are necessary to maintain fair competition — particularly in high-performance, strength-based disciplines.

On her show, Kelly pushed back forcefully against Thomas’ claims.

She argued that fairness in sports is not a cloak for discrimination but a fundamental pillar of athletic competition.

“No one is saying Lia Thomas shouldn’t exist,” Kelly stated. “We are saying Lia Thomas should not be competing against biological females who’ve trained their whole lives under the assumption that their competition would be fair — not skewed by biological advantages carried over from male puberty.”

Kelly also challenged Thomas’ characterization of women who oppose trans inclusion in sports, particularly singling out female athletes who’ve spoken out about losing titles, scholarships, or placements due to transgender participation.

“These women are not bigots. They’re brave,” Kelly said. “They’re fighting for their right to compete in a category that has historically been set aside to protect them from exactly this kind of physical disadvantage.”

Central to Kelly’s critique — and that of many other commentators — is the question of biological advantage.

While supporters of trans inclusion argue that hormone therapy reduces disparities, critics point to studies showing that trans women who undergo male puberty retain certain physiological benefits, such as bone density, muscle mass, and cardiovascular capacity.

Kelly cited these findings as proof that current inclusion policies, like those used by the NCAA and some professional leagues, do not go far enough to ensure equitable competition.

“Lia Thomas went through male puberty, trained as a male swimmer, and then competed as a female — and dominated,” Kelly said. “If this doesn’t make you question the system, you’re not paying attention.”

Kelly also invoked the name of Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who tied with Lia Thomas during the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championship and has since become a vocal advocate for keeping women’s sports exclusive to biological females.

“Riley Gaines had to stand silently while the NCAA gave the trophy to Lia Thomas, simply because they didn’t want the photo op of a trans athlete standing without the win,” Kelly said. “It’s political theater disguised as inclusion.”

This growing movement of female athletes speaking out — including Olympic champions like Martina Navratilova and Sharron Davies — has become a central part of the ongoing cultural and legal battle over trans inclusion in sports.

Many have joined lawsuits, campaigns, and advocacy groups pushing for policy reforms across collegiate and professional athletics.

Perhaps Kelly’s most provocative suggestion during the segment was her proposal that transgender athletes form a separate category of competition.

“If Lia Thomas wants a space that’s inclusive to all identities, then why not advocate for a third league — a transgender division?” she asked. “That way, no one is being excluded, but biological realities are respected.”

This idea — while controversial — echoes proposals made by some policymakers and sports scientists, who argue that neither full inclusion nor outright exclusion offers a sustainable path forward in balancing rights and fairness.

While many in the media and sports industry have avoided taking strong public positions, Kelly criticized what she sees as a culture of fear in which organizations are afraid to speak out.

“The WNBA, the NCAA, the IOC — they’re terrified,” she said. “They fear backlash more than they care about protecting the athletes who’ve built these sports from the ground up.”