Right-wing pundit Megyn Kelly and her podcast guests did not mince words when they criticized former first lady Michelle Obama for recently talking about her efforts to include designers of color in her wardrobe. But their criticism might’ve revealed more about their “discomfort” with conversations about diversity and inclusion, one therapist says.
During a segment of Kelly’s podcast, “The Megyn Kelly Show,” which was published on Tuesday, Kelly and her guests — right-wing media influencer Will Witt and podcaster Britt Mayer — slammed Obama for saying on the “Storehouse & Friends” podcast that she tries to “balance” her wardrobe with clothes from designers of color, and that she encourages others to be “mindful” about those designers when they can.
“Michelle Obama is back in the news. She’s obsessing over race again. I know you’re shocked. Shocked,” Kelly said before she introduced a clip from the “Storehouse & Friends” podcast.
“Now we have to do work to make sure our closet has a diversity of designers,” Kelly said, before adding, ”[Obama’s] like, make sure you have people of color designing the clothes, or somehow you’ve fallen down on your inclusive, whatever, duties.”
Witt argued that Obama’s remarks are a part of a bigger problem with people “constantly always, talking about race.”
“You want racism to be solved? Just shut the hell up,” he said. “You don’t have to talk about these things and say anything, and there will be no bad race relations in this country like the way these people proclaim that there are.”
Mayer chimed in to say that Obama’s remarks “screams privileged.”
“I don’t have time, or I’m not privileged enough to have time to go and find out exactly what melanin type was a part of constructing my jeans,” she said. “I just buy jeans because they look good.”
Mayer then name-dropped American Eagle as her go-to clothing brand.
“American Eagle. That’s where I’m grabbing my jeans,” she said. “I don’t care if it was a Black, Asian, white, Hispanic, dude or woman who put it all together.”
But despite her criticism of Obama’s remarks, Mayer then revealed that she also makes certain conscious decisions about where she shops. For starters, she said it’s “important” to her to buy clothes that are made in America.
“If I have the opportunity to buy an American-made pair of denim jeans, I’m going to go for that,” she said. (American Eagle came under fire last summer after it was accused of promoting the idea that Eurocentric features are more valuable with its ad campaign starring Sydney Sweeney. The company partners with manufacturers in more than 20 countries around the world, per its website.)
Mayer also emphasized that she makes a point to avoid buying things that are labeled as woman-owned, BiPoC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) or Black-owned.
“I actually avoid those because they annoy me,” she said. “I think it’s a part of this culture that’s so obsessed with race and pitting men against women.”
Monica Cwynar, a licensed clinical social worker with Thriveworks who specializes in trauma and coping skills, said that she believes Kelly and her guests misrepresented Obama’s remarks about supporting designers of color.
Kelly’s segment on Obama on YouTube is titled: “Michelle Obama Says Everyone MUST Make Sure Their Closet Has Black Designers [In] It.”
That framing turns Obama’s “advocacy for inclusivity and a reminder that such designers are out there into a mandate, which was not the case,” Cwynar said.
“This sensational framing mischaracterizes Mrs. Obama’s intent, to portray her as a militant Black woman, suggesting obligation rather than encouraging awareness and appreciation,” she told HuffPost. “Such misrepresentation can provoke outrage, reinforcing existing biases and creating a divisive narrative that distracts from meaningful dialogue on race and inclusivity.”
“I believe that was the intention,” she continued.
During Obama’s appearance on “Storehouse & Friends,” the “Becoming” author was asked to share advice on what she thinks everyday women could be doing to support designers of color.
Obama responded by pointing out that the fashion industry is a tough business, and that Black designers and designers of color face unique systemic challenges in the fashion world. She also acknowledged that consumers, who continue to face high living costs, often have to prioritize what’s most affordable when shopping for clothes.
But Obama said that as someone who has had a wide range of brands featured in her own wardrobe — she named Chanel and J Crew as examples — she just tries to be mindful of balancing her closet with clothes designed by people of color.
Arturo Holmes via Getty Images
Michelle Obama photographed on August 09, 2025 in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
The reaction to Obama on Kelly’s podcast showed a ‘discomfort’ with engaging in diversity efforts, Cwynar said.
Cwynar said that Mayer’s comments about which brands she chooses — and the brands she avoids — were contradictory, since Obama’s remarks were similarly centered on how she makes her own shopping choices.
So then what was wrong with Obama encouraging others to be mindful of including designers of color in their wardrobes?
Cwynar thinks the exchange on Kelly’s podcast might’ve revealed their “discomfort” with engaging in diversity efforts.
“It appears to raise an inclination to maintain existing power structures rather than challenge them, as it gives preference to familiar brands while dismissing the value of supporting marginalized creators,” she said.
She said Kelly and her guests appeared “defensive” about Obama’s comments.
“This response likely comes from a belief that such inclusivity suggests a preferential treatment that takes away from other designers,” she said. “Mrs. Obama has written a book called ‘The Look’ where she discusses her intentional use of fashion to raise up such designers. It included how she got bolder during her second term and that she was always aware of how she was seen.”
“This reaction indicates discomfort with discussions surrounding race and diversity, suggesting a resistance to acknowledging how privilege shapes most industries,” she later continued.
It’s harmful to downplay the importance of supporting designers of color.
Shaun Harper, a professor of business, public policy and education at the University of Southern California, said that Kelly and her guests’ critiques of Obama “reflect either a lack of understanding about or blatant disregard for the realities of underrepresentation among designers of color in high-profile spaces.”
“As a Black woman with enormous power and huge platforms, Michelle Obama recognizes this, which is why she has been and continues to be so intentional about showcasing these talented creators and their work,” he said.
Harper emphasized that Obama could “instantly catapult the careers of Asian American, Black, Indigenous, and Latino designers” by wearing their designs.
“Because of systemic racism and longstanding racialized gatekeeping in the fashion industry, white designers, including some who are considerably less talented, do not need this as much; the overwhelming majority of high-exposure opportunities already go to them,” he said.
The fashion industry has historically been overwhelmingly white and male. In 2019, CNN reported that fewer than 4% of CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America’s) members listed on its website at the time were Black.
Cwynar said that downplaying the importance of uplifting the representation of designers of color is harmful.
“It perpetuates systemic inequalities and overlooks the challenges faced by underrepresented groups in industries like fashion,” she said. “Public discourse plays a crucial role in shaping societal norms and opinions, and stifling discussions around inclusivity can reinforce the silencing of these voices.”
She also pointed out that it’s important to remember that people of color have played pivotal roles throughout history in shaping fashion, “from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s to streetwear of the 1980’s to present day.”
In the end, Cwynar questioned why there’s so much scrutiny about the way Obama chooses to use her platform, anyway.
“How is this taking away from anyone?” she questioned.
