Megyn Kelly Breaks Down New Race Hoax Involving WNBA Star Angel Reese Inventing Racial Harassment

.
.
.

In the world of American sports, few stories have captured as much attention—and controversy—this past week as the alleged racial harassment incident involving WNBA star Angel Reese.

What began as a routine season opener between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky quickly spiraled into a national debate about racism, media responsibility, and the power of social media. Now, with new revelations and a high-profile breakdown by Megyn Kelly, the story has taken a dramatic turn, raising questions about truth, accountability, and the state of women’s sports in America.

It all started on May 17th, during the much-anticipated WNBA season opener. The Indiana Fever, led by rising star Caitlyn Clark, squared off against the Chicago Sky, featuring Angel Reese—a player already known for her competitive spirit and outspoken nature. During a heated moment in the game, Clark was called for a flagrant foul against Reese. Cameras caught the aftermath: Reese fell to the court, then quickly got up, visibly agitated, and followed Clark across the floor.

By all accounts, it was the kind of hard-nosed play that happens in every professional basketball game. Clark herself downplayed the incident, saying there was “nothing malicious” about the foul and that it was just part of the game. Reese, too, initially seemed to agree, telling reporters, “All right, it was just a basketball play.”\Shortly after the game, the Associated Press reported that the WNBA had launched an investigation into alleged racial abuse directed at Reese by Indiana Fever fans. The league released a statement condemning “racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms,” promising to look into the matter thoroughly.

Reese herself amplified the allegations on social media, posting a TikTok video with a screenshot of Clark walking away from her after the foul, captioned: “White gal running from the fade.” Though the post was later deleted, the message had already been seen by thousands and picked up by media outlets.

Speaking to reporters, Reese described the supposed racist taunts as “very hard to deal with,” adding, “Obviously, there’s no place in this league for that… It could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.” The implication was clear: Reese believed she had been targeted because of her race, and she felt the league and her team were supporting her through the ordeal.

As the story gained traction, questions began to emerge. What exactly had happened in the arena that night? What evidence was there of racist abuse from fans?

According to a report by the Daily Mail, neither Reese’s coach nor her teammates were aware of any hate speech during the game. In fact, they only learned about the allegations when the news broke publicly. No one on the Chicago Sky’s staff or among the Fever’s players had heard anything out of the ordinary.

So where did the allegations come from? As it turns out, the investigation was triggered not by eyewitness accounts or official complaints, but by anonymous social media users who claimed to have heard “monkey sounds” from the crowd when Reese took her free throws. Audio from the game, however, revealed only the typical noise-makers and distractions common at basketball games—nothing that could be clearly identified as racist taunting.

Despite the lack of concrete evidence, the story quickly spread, fueled by sports commentators and analysts. ESPN’s Monica McNutt, Chennai Ogwumike, and Fox Sports’ Emmanuel Acho all weighed in, declaring the incident a clear example of racism in the WNBA. “If you are truly a basketball fan, you would understand and agree we have no space in our game for those types of comments,” McNutt said on air.

But when pressed for specifics—what was actually said, who said it, and what evidence backed up the claims—none of the commentators could provide answers.

Ten days after the initial allegations, the WNBA released the findings of its investigation. The league stated, “Based on information gathered to date, including from relevant fans, teams, and arena staff, as well as audio and video review of the game, we have not substantiated it.” In other words, there was no evidence to support the claims of racial harassment.

The league’s statement did little to quell the controversy. Critics argued that the WNBA had been too quick to launch an investigation based on unverified social media reports, while others lamented that the league’s response was inadequate to address the underlying issues of racism in sports.

Meanwhile, some commentators who had initially amplified the allegations began to walk back their statements. ESPN’s Chennai Ogwumike posted on X (formerly Twitter), “If you know me, you know I’m not afraid to say I can do better. I am sorry that my message was in the heat of the moment… I totally recognize that it may have impacted fans in a way that I did not intend and I am sorry.”

Enter Megyn Kelly, the veteran journalist and commentator known for her sharp analysis and no-nonsense approach. On her show, Kelly dissected the entire saga, calling it “another race hoax” that had taken center stage in American sports. She criticized the media for running with anonymous social media claims and questioned why there was so little accountability for those who spread false allegations.

“When you say something that is totally false on the air, you have to go out and look into the same camera where you made the first allegation and say, ‘Here is what I said, and that was wrong, and this is how I know it was wrong.’ And then you do your apology,” Kelly said. “She didn’t even address the falseness that she spewed. ‘I’ll just do better. Please forgive me.’”

Kelly also pointed out the double standard in how allegations of racism are treated in the media, noting that similar incidents—such as a recent controversy involving Brittney Griner—receive far less scrutiny when the alleged perpetrator is not white.

The fallout from the Angel Reese incident has left many fans, players, and commentators grappling with difficult questions. How should leagues handle allegations of racism, especially when they originate from social media? What responsibility do journalists and analysts have to verify claims before broadcasting them to millions? And how can women’s sports maintain credibility and unity in the face of such divisive controversies?

For now, one thing is clear: the story of Angel Reese and the WNBA race hoax has become a cautionary tale about the dangers of rushing to judgment, the power of social media to shape narratives, and the need for accountability at every level of the sports world.

As Megyn Kelly concluded, “Maybe we shouldn’t run with anonymous social media users’ allegations. Maybe social media is not the most reliable source for massive racism investigations without anybody who is actually there having heard, seen, or witnessed it.”