Megyn Kelly Unleashes Brutal Takedown of Madonna’s VMAs Performance, Branding Her ‘Desperate’
Madonna took the star-studded night at the VMAs 2026 with an opening performance. At 68, she commanded attention with her dramatic performance and award-acceptance speech. While Madonna’s performance drew attention, Megyn Kelly took issue with the singer’s appearance and stage persona. Instead, the podcaster called the pop star “desperate” in a lengthy online rant.
Kelly also criticized Madonna’s demeanor and revisited speculation about the singer’s appearance and possible cosmetic procedures.
According to the Daily Beast, Kelly shared her views on Madonna’s latest appearance on her YouTube show. She asked the pop star, “Could you please try to find a more empowering narrative for age 68, please?” She continued to roast the Material Girl singer, saying, “I’m begging you.”
Kelly mocked the singer’s primitive style at the VMAs, claiming that she was not drunk. Instead, the journalist said, “If you listen to her, she’s hitting her articulation. I actually don’t think she was wasted.” Kelly further took a brutal jab at the 68-year-old and said, “As my dear, dear friend Maureen would say—Maureen Walsh from Fox, my makeup artist—‘she stinks of desperation.’ And she does. She stinks of desperation.”
It was a successful evening for Madonna as she took home seven awards from the 13 nods. Moreover, she received many compliments for her performance alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX to open the ceremony. While she dominated Monday headlines with her return, Kelly criticized her dance moves, saying, “You really want us to picture you having post-menopausal s–. Got it.”
The podcast host further made cosmetic surgery assumptions about the singer. She claimed that Madonna had “b— implants” a while ago. Supporting her argument, Kelly added, “She used to have, honestly, very tight, amazing hamstrings and quads into a very perky muscular bottom. I know because I researched before this show.”
Kelly went on to show Madonna’s pictures from years apart to prove her point. Besides mocking the pop star for her latest performance and appearance, the journalist also spoke a bit in her favor. She said, “Although I have to say, her upper body still looks amazing. And she’s done something to her a–.”
The podcaster maintained her stance, criticizing the Vogue singer. She also claimed that Madonna used “actual padding in her pants” at the VMAs.
The cosmetic surgery claims were no news to Madonna as she had previously faced the same scrutiny for her changing appearance. According to Page Six, plastic surgeon Dr. Ramtin Kassir analyzed the singer’s face and said, “She does look like Halloween came a little early.” The surgeon pointed out that the Popular singer has a “really exaggerated ‘V’-shape now.”
Another expert, Dr. Ehsan Ali, listed the procedures Madonna may have opted for to achieve her desired face. Ali said, “She for sure had a facelift,” before pointing out her tightened and wrinkle-free skin. Rhinoplasty and Botox were two more procedures that the doctors believed Madonna had pursued.
Kassir further analyzed the shape of the singer’s forehead. The surgeon added, “They’ve done a brow lift, where they make incisions in the hairline to pull everything back to lift up the brows and eyebrows, so your hairline moves back with it.”
