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Megyn Kelly and Fox News Speculation: Where the Talking Hits the Road


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Okay... New rules everyone. Please read.

 

1. No POLITICAL discussion. This thread is for speculation not politics. I am sure there are other political forums to discuss the role of news media in the political world

 

2. No Fox News nicknames or Megyn Kelly names.

 

3. This is a frustrating topic. Do not call out others for disagreeing with your views.

 

4. The forum is moving faster than a wildland fire in drought conditions. Posts, at the discretion of mods, will be hidden for mod review for questionable or borderline questionable posts. If you cannot find your post, the chances are it is in mod review. Do not ask why your post was hidden in the thread. Send a PM to one of the mods.

 

5. Do not discuss or over analysis which sisters were molested, who was the fifth victim, why Josh did it, Josh is a pedophile, are other male family members victims or molesters themselves, and is Josh still molesting young girls or women.

 

We are adults here. In a perfect world, we would get along and agree with every comment and issue coming down the turnpike, but we are in the real world.

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I think the interview will be a big disappointment. It's pre-taped and because Jim Bob is such a control freak, I doubt he'll allow anything controversial in the final edit. Fox will avoid controversy too and take the big ratings. I would love to be wrong about this and see somebody hold them accountable for their beliefs and actions, but that has never happened before.

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(edited)

I too think the interview will be a big disappointment. Not even because I don't think much of Fox News or Megyn, but because IA that Jim Bob is a control freak and I absolutely do not see any way he'd agree to a hard-hitting interview. I don't think Fox really cares - there's a reason why they devoted such little coverage to the Duggars compared to other networks - but Megyn might be gritting her teeth. Even if she wants to hit them where it hurts - and as much as I dislike her, I don't think she's one of the leg-humpers who would defend the Duggars no matter what - her hands are most likely tied. 

Edited by galax-arena
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I'm just mad that I have to add to the viewership of Fox News by DVRing this, but I can't miss it! I know it will be a giant disappointment and I'll probably end up even more mad at Jim Bob and Michelle. I know she's not going to bring up Gothard and his belief that prepubescent girls are at fault for sibling sex abuse by defrauding their brothers, but I suspect she will ask about the timeline and why they didn't contact police immediately.

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What I'd like to know is, why on earth is it spread over two days? If the first is as much of a softball as we think it will be, how do they hope to pull viewers in for the second show?

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I'm not too worried if it's a fluff interview. IT'S TAPED.

Editing can be done to twst words or ideas.

Also, Megyn's FB page is being slammed with conservatives all righteous that she demand real answers.

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I kind of think Jim-Bob and Michelle will really be turning up the hick factor on this interview and trying to come off as naive in dealing with Josh,

like they thought they were doing all the right things at the time and Josh turned his life around with Jesus etc.... and I also bet Michelle does most of the talking... 

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Whatever happens in the interview (and I'm not terribly optimistic that it will be hard-hitting but I hope I'm wrong), do we think this will open the floodgates of Duggar social media? I mean, I can imagine Jessa and Jill and their spouses and other family members posting up a storm after the interview, praising their parents, saying all is forgiven, etc. Again, I hope I'm wrong.

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I saw speculation in one of the other threads that they won't even use the word molestation, or that they will talk around what really happened. That won't surprise me from JB & Michelle, but i just saw my first promo for the interview on Fox and it said "molestation accusations". FWIW.

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We are 14 hours ahead in Australia, so by my calculation the interview will air at about 11 am on Thursday my time. There is a Kelly File on at that time here, so it may be it. I don't watch Fox News so I don't know how they programme and if it is the same as is going to air in the US. Just have to watch (or record) and find out.

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What Suz said...also, they're both narcissists and they've had their asses kissed for a very long time now. If the interviewer goes after them at all, I don't think either one of them could handle that much cognitive dissonance that quickly.

They will try whining, charming, weeping, and playing dumb...but what I think we could see if they get their egos tweaked hard enough is the masks coming off. I can easily see JB getting pissed enough at this mere woman who dares to challenge him to blurt something ugly...and while Michelle may be smarter, she's in menopause and she's an adulation addict. Shit could get real.

We might even hear her real voice....

ETA: I'm just hoping against all odds that even if it goes all fluffy and useless, she won't be able to ignore the elephant in the room...or rather not in the room. He's a grown-ass man...why isn't he there?

Edited by Oldernowiser
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Also, Megyn's FB page is being slammed with conservatives all righteous that she demand real answers.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of conservatives who gave Mike Huckabee hell for supporting the Duggars on his Facebook page.  I do not think this will be a softball interview.

Edited by IndianPaintbrush
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I agree with what a lot of people are saying about the interview being pre-recorded and questions being pre-approved. He's probably so dull and inarticulate that he needs to have all the questions before-hand to think of (maybe get help to think of....) and memorize a "good response." That's why I can't stand watching their interviews. I can't wait to hear what y'all have to say about this one though! I'm curious if they're just going to say the same stuff they said in their first family statement.

I also wonder if the girls will start being on social media again after this interview. It's odd seeing how none of them have posted anything since it came out and I wondered how long their silence will really last. it's going to be awkward to come back to social media no matter what; there won't ever be a good time. So the speculation that they might come back after this interview is an interesting idea.

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I think the interview will be a big disappointment. It's pre-taped and because Jim Bob is such a control freak, I doubt he'll allow anything controversial in the final edit. Fox will avoid controversy too and take the big ratings. I would love to be wrong about this and see somebody hold them accountable for their beliefs and actions, but that has never happened before.

 

I think the interview plan and talking points that Jim Bob is putting in place means the viewers are going to get spun more than a 10 year old on a tilt-a-whirl.

 

I'll watch, and feel slightly gross for doing so, around these forums everyone will be pretty honest but I think it'll be interesting to see who gives press statements the next day with things like thanking them for their honesty and saying they hope the media will now put this behind them, that viewers can now move on etc.

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I was pleasantly surprised by the number of conservatives who gave Mike Huckabee hell for supporting the Duggars on his Facebook page.  I do not think this will be a softball interview.

From my small sample of FB friends, it's the hardcore fans of the show, regardless their religious beliefs, who have wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, not the conservatives.  Our not-fundamentalist but more-conservative-than-me pastor, during his sermon this week, expressly included those who "worship" the false god of family and procreation with those who "worship" the false god of sex.  

 

As for the interview, I'm torn between hoping that Fox and Megyn realize that a softball interview will anger a lot of viewers and doubting that Jim Bob and Michelle would agree to anything but a softball interview.  Of course, their egos may be big enough that they think they can handle anything and come out smelling sweet.  

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I'm wondering how the women who were molested are feeling about the interview. Not to mention the other kids- like the Howlers have to know by now .

 

I think Boob and MEchelle should shut the fuck up and let the girls and Josh speak for themselves. They are all now old enough to decide for themselves what they want out regarding this. If they want radio silence then that should be respected, but we all know that isn't going to happen. 

 

I just feel so badly for the women who were molested. Not only was this forced out in the open without their consent now they have to deal with a freaking interview about it. SMDH

Edited by yogi2014L
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I think Megyn Kelly may do a good job with this interview, despite it being held in Duggar territory.  And I am sure at some point I will watch it, but I will probably wait until after I read some of the posts to get an idea of how it went.  I find JimBob to be a bully, but Megyn should be able to handle him.  Also she does have three very young children so I would expect her not to be soft on the issue of child molestation.  Even if it is softball, I just cannot see how the Duggars come out ahead on this. I just don't see all the viewers rushing to their phones to demand the show be kept on the air.  In fact, people who aren't all that aware of the Duggars are going to be put off by them so I would think this interview would make it more likely the show will be permanently cancelled. I think JimBob may have bought into the idea that negative publicity is better than none.  And despite their being on TLC and in some editions of People magazine, I don't think they are that well known except as parents of a huge family. And to not have Josh on there? He is 27 and hiding behind his parents.  I used to think that despite forbidding the children from internet and tv, the Duggar parents were watching and surfing, but I guess maybe not.  Not only do they seem stuck in middle school as far as their personalities; they seem to be stuck in the late 80's or early 90's even if their kids are tweeting and instagramming.  I just don't see this as a good idea for the Duggars.

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The only hope I have for a remotely fair and balanced interview is Megyn taking her perspective as a parent into account. If they ask her if Josh could watch her children for her, I would guess and hope she would be honest in her answer.

If the Fox management deny that perspective for her with scripted questions that don't address Josh's interaction with other children, including his own, then an important angle will be missed.

Cannot change the past, but the past can influence the future especially if nothing was done about the past behavior.

Edited by b2H
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I'm wondering how the women who were molested are feeling about the interview. Not to mention the other kids- like the Howlers have to know by now .

 

I think Boob and MEchelle should shut the fuck up and let the girls and Josh speak for themselves. They are all now old enough to decide for themselves what they want out regarding this. If they want radio silence then that should be respected, but we all know that isn't going to happen. 

 

I just feel so badly for the women who were molested. Not only was this forced out in the open without their consent now they have to deal with a freaking interview about it. SMDH

I agree, Josh should be holding his own interview. It only add fuel to the fire that the kids are too controlled. Who else has their parents do interviews for them at 27? Young 'actual' celebrities may have the support of their parents but do their own interviews (with pr people input I'm sure, but still).

 

I  missed the quote function, but poster MLE saw 'molestion accusations' as a promo bit for the interview.  ACCUSATIONS? That bit is already a lie. He has confessed.

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ETA: I'm just hoping against all odds that even if it goes all fluffy and useless, she won't be able to ignore the elephant in the room...or rather not in the room. He's a grown-ass man...why isn't he there?

 

Maybe the bullet-proof vest he ordered online hasn't arrived yet so he is afraid to go outside?

 

Nah, he is probably doing whatever Boob and Clown Car tell him to do.

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Whatever happens in the interview (and I'm not terribly optimistic that it will be hard-hitting but I hope I'm wrong), do we think this will open the floodgates of Duggar social media? I mean, I can imagine Jessa and Jill and their spouses and other family members posting up a storm after the interview, praising their parents, saying all is forgiven, etc. Again, I hope I'm wrong.

I'm sure that's precisely what will happen.

IMO, this can't be anything but a softball interview. If it were going to be anything else, there would have to be questions about how the Duggars' beliefs and values impacted their handling of the situation. And you know that's not going to happen.

I'm speculating the whole thing is going to be about downplaying what Smuggar actually did, and about forgiveness and redemption. It's the Duggars' last gasp at saving a sinking ship, and I don't really see it having much of an impact. If anything, I think it will clue people in to an even greater degree about how not-mainstream they are.

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I agree, the interview with Megyn Kelly is a bad idea if the Duggars are using it to repair their image and to tell their side of the story. It's about as bad as going on the witness stand when you're being accused of murder. Though I do think MK will be an easier interview than say Diane Sawyer or an Oprah Winfrey type. MK can be tough, especially with liberals and liberal agenda, but she'll go a bit easier on them than someone from the left would, imo.

Personally, I'm glad JB & M are stupid enough to go on TV and try to explain themselves out of this. My hope is that it digs a bigger hole in the grave their digging and they won't be able to blame it on being put on notice by a liberal interviewer with an agenda to bring the Duggars down.

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I've noticed a lot of people saying that because Megyn is a parent, they expect her to be tougher on the Duggars. I just wanted to chime in as someone who is not a parent, and does not plan to be one: I would be just as tough as anyone on a child molester or the people who covered for him. You don't have to have children to take this as seriously as it deserves. I expect Megyn to be tough on them because she is smart and assertive and has a sense of right and wrong (even if you disagree with her politics, which is fine, you can't really argue that she is "amoral"). There's no need to make this into one of those parents vs. non-parents things.

Agreed. And I have seen parents post the defenses floating around for Josh. There are idiots and good people in every group.

I don't expect much from the interview, just because I can't see JB and Michelle not micromanaging it.

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They are most likely taping today or Tuesday.  I expect to see promo clips Wednesday morning.

EVERYBODY!!!! Turn your face toward New York, squinch your eyes shut and channel Megyn Kelly. Put all the things you want answered on that little telekinetic thread and zap her. Maybe she won't be ABLE to soft-ball with us overriding her thoughts with our questions. Wouldn't it just be AMAZING if JB got mad enough to get up and leave the cameras? Be SUCH a telling moment...

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How much do you wanna bet that JB & M will be deflecting and excusing their bad judgment and lack of good parenting/protecting their children wearing color coordinated outfits [gag].

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Leaving in the face of challenging questions may be just what is needed to put these people out of the public eye once and for all.

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I've noticed a lot of people saying that because Megyn is a parent, they expect her to be tougher on the Duggars. I just wanted to chime in as someone who is not a parent, and does not plan to be one: I would be just as tough as anyone on a child molester or the people who covered for him. You don't have to have children to take this as seriously as it deserves. I expect Megyn to be tough on them because she is smart and assertive and has a sense of right and wrong (even if you disagree with her politics, which is fine, you can't really argue that she is "amoral"). There's no need to make this into one of those parents vs. non-parents things.

 

For me, at least, it's not that I think you have to be a parent to have a problem with this. Many of the people I know who would be the least sympathetic to bad parenting have chosen not to have children themselves.

 

I've just noticed that on many of the occasions where Ms Megan took offense and challenged things her guests and coworkers had said, they had said something which belittled working women as wives and mothers. I actually find that kind of refreshing about her, since the thing where 'traditional' women with high profile jobs and domestic staff primly agree that women who work outside the home aren't doing right by their families aggravates the hell out of me. But she does tend to challenge the party line when her own ox is being gored.

Edited by Julia
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I'm expecting every color and flavor of euphemism under the sun from these 2.  Molestation?  No, it was a "wrong-doing".  Abuse? No, it was a "bad response" or "negative action".   Cover Up?  No, it was an "alternate method". 

 

What a hell of a drinking game that would be to keep count of how many times they dodge accurate terms for what Josh did.  

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What a hell of a drinking game that would be to keep count of how many times they dodge accurate terms for what Josh did.  

 

We have a lot of teetotallers here. Maybe the "drinking game" should be "take a bite of a cookie" game. Except we'd all gain 8 pounds overnight.

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(edited)

 

I've noticed a lot of people saying that because Megyn is a parent, they expect her to be tougher on the Duggars. I just wanted to chime in as someone who is not a parent, and does not plan to be one: I would be just as tough as anyone on a child molester or the people who covered for him. You don't have to have children to take this as seriously as it deserves. I expect Megyn to be tough on them because she is smart and assertive and has a sense of right and wrong (even if you disagree with her politics, which is fine, you can't really argue that she is "amoral"). There's no need to make this into one of those parents vs. non-parents things.

I did mention that she is a parent, but I had no intention of making this parent vs non-parent.  Megyn can be a great interviewer, but she has been known to go squishy at times.  My point was --because she has children-- I think she herself would not give the Duggars as easy a time as they expect.  It was not to compare her to any other interviewers, just to indicate I thought she was more likely to do one of her more hard-hitting interviews than she sometimes does. I was only comparing her with herself, but I wasn't that clear in the original post.

 

edited because "on " is not the same as "of" and also to correctly paste the quotation above.

Edited by Twopper
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This interview may contain hard hitting questions, but the Duggars aren't above 'creative answering'.

 

I agree.  I'm sure there will be hard hitting questions, but will Megan Kelly let them get away with their "creative answering."  I know she has surprised people before.

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I already know I'm not going to be happy with the outcome of this interview, so I'm not getting my hopes up and, if by some miracle, Megyn holds their feet to the fire, it will be a pleasant surprise.  All I see is them holding hands while JimBob dances around the issues in his usual clumsy way and Michelle stares adoringly up at him with that stupid plastered on smile of hers. 

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I'm thinking "We are not perfect" or "We are not perfect parents" will be used quite a bit by Ma and Pa Duggar. Another possibility for the drinking/cookie-eating game?

 

We might have to start a whole drinking game place your bets thread.  I'm going to go with - how many times will they mention "Satan" and any version of "evil temptation"

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Do you think the Duggars want the interview or do TLC want the interview? I'm assuming that could change the direction of the questions.

I posted yesterday that this is TLC driven.  When you sign a contract with TLC they are in the drivers seat.

 Also, The Little Couple was spotted in NYC and asked by TMZ about the Duggars.   A TLC babysitter is right there and shuts it down.  Bill says nothing and Jen is doing that laugh she does.    Two grown adults and they are not allowed to speak and someone there to make sure of it.

http://www.tmz.com/2015/05/31/little-couple-tlc-duggar-molestation-19-kids-and-counting-video/

We might have to start a whole drinking game place your bets thread.  I'm going to go with - how many times will they mention "Satan" and any version of "evil temptation"

I would go back at them with , "That's a whole lotta fellowshit"

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So actually JB can't be really in control then? TLC will surely have lawyers pre approving all the questions & preparing their respinses in Duggarese lingo. I wonder what JB & M think or are they aware of the extent of the publics feeling or do they still shield themselves from media? (Actually I'm not in USA & only read on here so not even sure how much reporting is happening in America?)

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I think the reason that Josh & The Older Girls are not doing the interview is for plausible deniability.  JB & Michelle can claim that only the minimal amount of anything occurred and the interviewer has no one else to ask.   JB & Michelle only knew about over the clothes touching, while girls were sleeping, and over the clothes touching during story-time. [They might even discount some of the storytime & laundry room narrative in the police report as misunderstanding/misrepresentation of what really happened.]   I think the incidents will be down-played and minimized with focus on Josh as a "young teenager".  They talk about how they handled it immediately by punishing Josh (Props to Megyn Kelly if she askes them if they used a rod on Josh!), and that he received church counseling & was sent away from home for a while.  They will also claim that nothing else ever happened so it worked.  They will also focus on forgiveness and family.  And since Josh & the Girls are not present no one can ever ask them how much of this is true.

 

I think this whole interview is the biggest balloon floated by TLC to see if there are enough viewers that will forgive and forget if they are provided with a narrative that lets them think that the events that occurred were really minor and that Josh was really young.

 

Unfortunately, I don't think this will be a hard hitting interview at all.  They may not even go as far as I speculated above.  It might be no more than it was a very tough time, its all in the past, everyone forgave Josh, we aren't perfect parents just forgiven, we all grew closer to each other and God.

 

I'm not sure whether or not I'll watch it but I'll definitely read the reviews here and maybe eventually watch it on demand.

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I agree, the interview with Megyn Kelly is a bad idea if the Duggars are using it to repair their image and to tell their side of the story. It's about as bad as going on the witness stand when you're being accused of murder. Though I do think MK will be an easier interview than say Diane Sawyer or an Oprah Winfrey type. MK can be tough, especially with liberals and liberal agenda, but she'll go a bit easier on them than someone from the left would, imo.

Personally, I'm glad JB & M are stupid enough to go on TV and try to explain themselves out of this. My hope is that it digs a bigger hole in the grave their digging and they won't be able to blame it on being put on notice by a liberal interviewer with an agenda to bring the Duggars down.

 

I agree that Kelly won't question them the way she sometimes questions politicians. And that's not just because they're conservatives rather than liberals. When she questions a politician, in a certain way it isn't personal. It's the same way that, in the old but not too old days, Orrin Hatch and Teddy Kennedy could be friends off the Senate floor. It's one thing to attack someone hammer and tongs over their professional and political beliefs and behavior. It's quite another thing to be so aggressive over something they do or believe in their personal lives.

 

With the Duggars, even though they're public figures of a sort, their public personas are still the personas of private individual people. And even without meaning to, most interviewers will soften the questions when they involve personal lives. Furthermore, J and M aren't the ones who are accused of an actual crime, and they've portrayed themselves -- and will in the interview -- as victims. And that's another thing that is just going to get an interviewer to soften up a little, whether she actually intends to or not. By having them as the spokespeople, rather than having Josh speak for himself, it inevitably just deflects all the hard questions just a little bit -- and just enough, I expect, to keep and interview from being able to go hard after the hardest stuff.

 

And then, of course, no matter what she asks, they'll just give some mealy-mouthed non-response response and keep on giving it if she asks again. They have their family vocabulary of meaningless code words, and they always use it, almost exclusively, no matter what they're talking about. So they'll use it again. Plus, all the code words are also designed to put them in a good light, to turn the topic to love and sweetness and tears -- so they're another subliminal way to deflect the interviewer, no matter what the interviewer intends.

 

That's what I expect, anyway. I hope that I'm wrong.

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First question: Why isn't Josh here to answer questions himself?

2nd: Why are you speaking for Josh, a 27 year old adult and father of 3 ?

3rd: Isn't Josh eager defend his reputation and explain his incestous actions himself?

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I agree that Kelly won't question them the way she sometimes questions politicians. And that's not just because they're conservatives rather than liberals. When she questions a politician, in a certain way it isn't personal. It's the same way that, in the old but not too old days, Orrin Hatch and Teddy Kennedy could be friends off the Senate floor. It's one thing to attack someone hammer and tongs over their professional and political beliefs and behavior. It's quite another thing to be so aggressive over something they do or believe in their personal lives.

 

...

 

That's what I expect, anyway. I hope that I'm wrong.

 

This is a really good point. I've been rooting for Megyn, but with some reservations, and I think this is exactly why. I've seen her tear into a political guest, but by the end the "thanks/goodbye" part seemed genuinely friendly. Political folks can separate business and personal, but Jim Bob and Michelle probably can't (or won't). Also, the interview being on their turf will probably make it harder for her to go for the jugular. I hope she goes for it anyway, though. Surely she's seen how many people, even conservative evangelicals, don't want her to go easy on them.

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Not sure how hard Megyn will hit.

But she is a lawyer and tends to be speak very quickly and forcefully to her guests when she is making a point. All those Very Special Interviews are all smiley people asking silly questions. Megyn's style is gonna throw them for a loop immediately.  

Can't wait to see what Megyn wears. Hopefully something very defrauding. 

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What I'd like to know is, why on earth is it spread over two days? If the first is as much of a softball as we think it will be, how do they hope to pull viewers in for the second show?

I honestly believe that since Megyn Kelly recorded this interview well in advance of the air date that FOX wants time to get feedback on the interview before Megyn Kelly goes live for her one-hour show on Friday. In this way they can calculate what the reaction was to her interview with the Duggar's. Depending whether it was pro or con will decide how she'll conduct her one hour special. Just my opinion. I'm glad we have a separate topic here in order to discuss this interview. It will be a lively board for days.

 

I recently heard a quote (Game of Thrones) that I'm able to directly relate with the rigid fundamentalist beliefs of the Duggar's.

 

"Belief is so often the death of reason"

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I think the biggest question of all "Has he done anything since and can we trust him?" Is the question Michelle and Jim Bob can "answer" but I don't know if they can honestly know. I don't know what it would take to truly convince someone that this was a adolescent situation than has never been repeated and never will be. I'm pretty pro-Duggars, but I'm not sure what it would take for me to be confident.

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