NOC Analyst

The truth behind Megyn Kelly's 'morally appalling' MAGA pivot. SiriusXM host Megyn Kelly speaks at the 2023 Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach, Florida (Image: Gage Skidmore / Creative Commons) October 10, 2026 | 12:30PM ET Megyn Kelly's pivot to MAGA boosterism has reentered the public eye in a major way, and according to a new breakdown from The Atlantic, there may be a particular moment in her career that exposes the truth behind her "drastic" and "morally appalling" shift. Once considered a more non-conformist and feminist presence during her time as a star anchor at Fox News, and a critical voice against President Donald Trump to boot, Kelly has in recent years pivoted hard towards being an overt and often foul-mouthed MAGA mouthpiece on her daily SiriusXM and YouTube show. Her shift has once again turned heads online after a "disconcerting" reaction to the "Cornell 7" college sexual assault scandal, in which she attacked the victim as "not the most attractive gal" and suggested that she was "probably thrilled to be so admired." In a new piece for The Atlantic on Saturday, staff writer Sophie Gilbert dug into why Kelly's shift towards this sort of rhetoric feels so much more drastic than other similar right-wing media "heel turns" in recent years. "We've seen some drastic heel turns in the media over the past few decades, but none quite as morally appalling as a former self-described advocate for female empowerment suggesting that a woman in this situation might have craved the attention because no one would have wanted to have sex with her otherwise," Gilbert wrote. "Normally, I have a pretty strong constitution for this kind of bad-faith rage bait. But Kelly's display this week of what I can describe only as performative hysteria has been hard to watch. Less than a minute into her show on Monday, she invoked the Salem witch trials. Twenty-three minutes in came her first pronounced use of the word f - (I counted seven in total). That the whole performance was interspersed with ad reads for supplements and a tiny avatar of Kelly pointing giddily at the 'Subscribe' button just added to the cognitive dissonance. It felt like watching morning television in Gilead." Gilbert further noted that she has found it difficult to discern how much of Kelly's reaction to the Cornell 7 case, and other similar outbursts she has had, is genuine, or is just a show to try and get attention online. She argued further that Kelly's "apparent worldview - where she herself can face sexual harassment due to patriarchal power structures that protect and even reward abusive men, but other women are likely lying - has been shaped by her rise and fall on TV news." Kelly left Fox News shortly after Trump's first term began, after she confirmed in reports that she had been sexually harassed by former CEO Roger Ailes. She moved to a much-anticipated new role at NBC News, but flamed out quickly and was fired after a series of controversial moves, leading to the position she currently finds herself in. "This moment seems to have influenced Kelly's current persona," Gilbert explained. "Public humiliation is hard for anyone to endure, but for someone with a renegade streak ('I've never been a 'pc' kind of person,' she reportedly wrote in her apology email to NBC staffers after her blackface comments), seeing so many people celebrating her failure must have been immensely painful. By the time The Megyn Kelly Show launched as a podcast in September 2020, mid-pandemic, Kelly was snidely describing her guests as lefties, complaining about the assault allegations against the Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh, and raging at the 'dishonesty' of the press covering Trump."

SiriusXM slides new satellite into operational service. Intuitive Machines has handed the satellite over to SiriusXM, and it has entered operational service. [email protected] September 22, 2026 Radio broadcaster SiriusXM has placed its latest satellite into operational orbit, several months after the hardware was launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The new satellite, SXM-11, will allow the company to continue offering satellite-based radio listeners with dozens of channels while also supporting and expanding its interactive features through the SiriusXM 360L platform, the company said in a statement. The satellite will replace XM-5 and is the 15th satellite launched for Sirius, XM and SiriusXM. The company's broader fleet update also includes SXM-12, which is scheduled to launch in 2027. SXM-11 weighed more than 15,000 pounds at launch, stands 28 feet tall and spans more than 106 feet with its solar arrays deployed. The spacecraft carries a 30-foot unfurlable S-band reflector designed to support SiriusXM's satellite audio service across North America. SiriusXM's satellite network supports more than 220 million SiriusXM-equipped vehicles across the continent and remains a core distribution platform for the company's in-car audio service. The network also supports SiriusXM with 360L, which combines satellite coverage with streaming features such as personalization, choice and interactivity. The satellite system allows SiriusXM to deliver service across broad areas, including places where cellular service may be limited. The company said SXM-11 strengthens its next-generation satellite fleet and reinforces the long-term resilience of its network. "Bringing SXM-11 into service strengthens our next-generation satellite fleet and reinforces the long-term resilience of our network," SiriusXM's Chief Product and Technology Officer Sean Gibbons said in a statement. "For listeners, that means a premium in-car experience with broad, reliable coverage, including where cellular service may be limited." Gibbons said SiriusXM with 360L brings together the reach of satellite with the choice and interactivity of streaming "to bring the best of both technologies together in millions of vehicles." Intuitive Machines said the handover continues a long-running spacecraft relationship with SiriusXM. "The handover of SXM-11 represents our 13th spacecraft delivered in partnership with SiriusXM," said Chris Johnson, the President of Intuitive Machines. "Achieving full commercial operation demonstrates the capability of our IM 1300 platform to meet demanding power, thermal and payload requirements for mission-critical commercial satellite infrastructure." SiriusXM and Intuitive Machines are continuing work on SXM-12, the next satellite in the current fleet refresh cycle. Once in service, SXM-12 will further support SiriusXM's satellite audio and data broadcast operations. SiriusXM offers dozens of commercial-free linear music streams along with a handful of news, talk, comedy and sports channels. Its latest plan costs $5 per month and allows radio listeners to access live sports play-by-play from professional and college sports organizations along with shoulder programming from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and other leagues. SiriusXM 360L-equipped tuners can also access hundreds of linear streams and on-demand programs delivered over broadband.

Intuitive Machines has completed the handover of its SXM-11 satellite to SiriusXM following successful in-orbit testing. The geostationary communications satellite became fully operational after launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 28 June. The milestone marks the 13th spacecraft built together by Intuitive Machines and SiriusXM over more than two decades of partnership. Work is already underway on the next satellite in the series, according to SiriusXM's Chief Product and Technology Officer Sean Gibbons. The satellite builds on previous models SXM-9 and SXM-10, strengthening SiriusXM's satellite network. Intuitive Machines shares traded 0.22% higher in after-hours trading on Tuesday.