Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly clarifies that she doesn’t think Donald Trump should pardon Sean “Diddy” Combs. The former Fox News anchor, who is now hosting The Megyn Kelly Show, criticized the rumors suggesting the President is considering a pardon for the disgraced rapper and music mogul. Diddy was found guilty in July for transporting women across state lines for prostitution.
Kelly wasn’t holding back on X, which used to be Twitter.
“Trump should not pardon Diddy. He doesn’t deserve it,” she wrote. “He’s a Trump hater. He’s a woman abuser.” Kelly went on to argue that letting Diddy off the hook would look like Donald Trump was siding with influential people who abuse others. This move would echo the ongoing Jeffrey Epstein saga, which has been a headache for several administrations, including Trump’s own.
This wasn’t just a casual comment made in passing. Kelly leaned into it on her podcast, using her show to urge Donald Trump to reconsider directly. Her main concern? That pardoning Combs would seriously hurt his appeal with younger female voters and feed into the suspicions within his MAGA base that he’s no longer the ‘outsider hero’ they thought he was, but just another powerful guy looking out for his friends.
The Diddy verdict itself was already a significant story.
After an eight-week federal trial, the former Bad Boy Records executive was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering, but was convicted on two serious charges related to transporting women for prostitution.
The courtroom presented an alarming picture of Combs as a habitual abuser: violent, controlling, and emotionally abusive. Singer Cassie Ventura and several other women came forward with detailed accounts of years of suffering under his influence.
“We all saw the videotape of him beating the hell out of Cassandra Ventura,” Kelly noted on her show. “There was so much more testimony about the other women he repeatedly beat all the way up to when he was arrested. He doesn’t deserve any of [Donald] Trump’s mercy.”
RELATED: “Trump pardoning Diddy will create another Epstein for him,” Claims Megyn Kelly
Donald Trump is now “seriously considering” a full presidential pardon for Diddy ahead of his sentencing later this year, an administration source tells Deadline.
Because of course he is. pic.twitter.com/NlVKK2Zdyg
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) July 30, 2025
All of this is happening right as Trump is dealing with criticism over his lack of openness regarding the Epstein Files.
Remember, Trump promised on the campaign trail that he’d release the entire Epstein client list? It still hasn’t materialized and has even been called “fake” and made-up by Democrats at different points during this long-drawn saga. Megyn Kelly pointed out that getting tangled up with another high-profile accused abuser makes Trump look even more implicated.
Donald Trump hasn’t officially said he plans to pardon Diddy.
But back in May, when he talked to Fox News’ Peter Doocy, he left the possibility open. “If I think somebody was mistreated – whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact,” US President Donald Trump boasted.
That comment hasn’t aged well, especially since Deadline reported that Trump is now “seriously considering” the pardon. A source told the outlet that the idea has evolved from just a “Trump weave” to something that might happen, even though no paperwork has been signed yet. When the White House was asked to clarify things, they declined to comment, which only fueled the speculation.
Megyn Kelly urges Trump not to pardon Diddy: ‘He doesn’t deserve it’ https://t.co/3kQc0iSDc6 pic.twitter.com/S7RP2Z2HwM
— New York Post (@nypost) July 31, 2025
Megyn Kelly’s concern goes beyond not liking Diddy; she’s thinking strategically about it.
She sees this move as political suicide, especially in the tight 2026 election climate. The GOP is really counting on young women to vote, not to walk out. As Kelly put it, “MAGA is already upset over elites seeming to cover for each other. This would not help. GOP struggling with young female voters, most of whom will HATE a Diddy pardon.”
