The 2026 TV schedule is packed with drama, but the latest dispute between former Fox News colleagues Megyn Kelly and Janice Dean is happening off-camera. Dean is speaking out against her former friend after Kelly made some controversial comments about Christina Applegate’s health. Apparently, bad blood between the two goes back further than this latest disagreement.
Applegate, who previously credited Selma Blair with helping her get diagnosed, revealed her MS diagnosis in 2021, but recently shared that doctors now believe they got it wrong. The actress has previously discussed how difficult filming Dead to Me became because of her symptoms, which haven’t gone away despite the new medical assessment. During the Oct. 20 episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly suggested Applegate had built a “cottage industry” around discussing MS and speculated that she was upset about potentially losing her place as a public face of the disease. Dean, who has lived with MS for more than 20 years, wasn’t having it, telling Page Six:
I’m sick of her using her platform to put people down… She goes to the lowest denominator and constantly put women down.
This is personal for Dean in more ways than one. She retired from Fox News in July after 22 years with the network, as her MS symptoms made working increasingly difficult. She told the outlet the disease can be isolating, making Kelly’s comments particularly upsetting.
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Dean also said she and the podcast host used to be close friends, taking to X to explain why they no longer speak:
I’ve kept my mouth shut for a long time about #meangirl Megyn Kelly. She used to be one of my closest friends and then she ghosted me after she endorsed Andrew Cuomo for mayor and I told her she broke my heart. Her comments about Christina Applegate are disgusting. Having #MS for over 20 years, she knows how long it took for doctors to diagnose me.
According to the retired meteorologist, their friendship fell apart after Kelly backed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor. Now the comments about Applegate appear to have pushed her to speak publicly about the veteran broadcaster and her former friend. Dean’s own lengthy road to an MS diagnosis gives her criticism added context.
Dean also defended Applegate’s decision to speak openly about her health. She continued, writing:
I think Christina is brave for telling the truth and I’m grateful she became a voice for so many of us. I will have much more to say about this when I’m well enough. I’ve been sick for several weeks in and out of the hospital but when I’m well enough I will comment more.
The conservative commentator has had other public disagreements, including one about Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s return to The View and another with Meghan McCain over Bad Bunny. However, this particular argument is more personal and even brought out another former Fox News personality, Eric Bolling, into the conversation. He criticized the longtime weathercaster for going after Kelly, and Dean responded on X.
The outlet reported that Kelly, who never seems shy about speaking her mind about celebrities she’s interviewed or clapping back at criticism, hadn’t responded to her former friend’s criticism when it published its story. Dean, meanwhile, said she’ll have more to share once she’s feeling better. For now, Applegate is still searching for answers about her health.
