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Conservative commentator Megyn Kelly was heavily criticized for having a Twitter meltdown after football announcers referred to First Lady Jill Biden as "Dr. Jill Biden," employing the title she has earned.
The First Lady received a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in educational leadership from the University of Delaware in 2007 but Kelly called Biden’s doctorate a “fake title” after an announcer at the NFC Championship game in Philadelphia on Sunday introduced the First Lady using her "Dr." title.
The First Lady was in attendance in a box to cheer on her hometown Philadelphia Eagles as the team defeated the San Francisco 49ers to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
But an annoyed Kelly claimed Dr. Biden's title is not legitimate because she doesn't hold a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), which is awarded to licensed physicians who graduate from accredited medical schools.
She said:
"Announcers for this Eagles-49ers game just spotted the First Lady in a box and of course call her 'Dr. Jill Biden.' Wonder if she realizes what a wannabe she looks like insisting on this fake title. Get a real MD or just work on your self-esteem."
You can see her tweet below.
\u201cAnnouncers for this Eagles-49ers game just spotted the First Lady in a box and of course call her \u201cDr. Jill Biden.\u201d Wonder if she realizes what a wannabe she looks like insisting on this fake title. Get a real MD or just work on your self-esteem.\u201d— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly) 1675026149
Kelly was immediately criticized for her remark and reminded how degree titles work.
\u201cPoor Megyn...she thinks she is still relevant! ANd, she has no clue how academic degrees work or what they mean!!!\u201d— Str8Eagle (@Str8Eagle) 1675062297
\u201cAre you needing to Outrage Farm to keep your name in the game? Is business that bad?\u201d— Heather Thomas (@Heather Thomas) 1675048864
\u201cThis is the REAL Megyn Kelly, folks. A sad, bitter person who lashes out at successful women in her desperation for relevance.\u201d— Vicki S (@Vicki S) 1675064642
\u201cI challenge you to find me anyone as bitter as Megyn Kelly.\n\nAfter years on TV, she got fired from NBC for saying that blackface was acceptable on Halloween (it's not, genius) and now she's stuck tweeting bizarre rants about Jill Biden.\n\nAnother pathetic, right-wing Fox has-been.\u201d— TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes on Post and Mast*don) (@TrumpsTaxes (@TrumpsTaxes on Post and Mast*don)) 1675041816
\u201cYou and your extreme MAGA friends can hate on the First Lady title all you want but whether you guys like it or not, it's a title she legitimately earned.\u201d— Manny Funes (@Manny Funes) 1675042495
\u201cFirst Lady Jill Biden earned a Doctorate & therefore is entitled to be called "Dr. Jill Biden."\nYour ignorance of the difference between a Ph.D & an M.D. says more about your pettiness & jealousy than about Dr. Jill Biden's education & class.\u201d— Charles Campisi (@Charles Campisi) 1675044313
\u201cAcademics (first, theologians) were called "Doctor" (from the Latin, Docere, "to teach") in the 13th/14th centuries. Medical practitioners were not called "Doctor" officially until 1838. \n\nMuch love, \nDr. Parcak\u201d— Dr. Sarah Parcak (@Dr. Sarah Parcak) 1675041405
\u201cI have a lot of thoughts about this tweet, but what really strikes me is the casual tone of the cyberbullying. I was once a guest on your show to discuss relational aggression among girls. Well, here it is among women. Time to revisit the topic? \nDr. Katie Hurley (not MD)\u201d— Katie Hurley (@Katie Hurley) 1675043186
\u201cBREAKING \nWoman with absolutely the - rightfully - lowest self esteem talks about a woman with self esteem.\u201d— Paul van der Meer (@Paul van der Meer) 1675057773
Interestingly, Kelly has had no problem with the "Dr." honorific for other non-medical doctors, as some on Twitter were also happy to remind her.
\u201c@megynkelly this selective outrage seems a bit forced\u201d— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly) 1675026149
\u201cNow do Gorka\u201d— Rick Wilson (@Rick Wilson) 1675050752
In 2015, when she was still working as host for Fox News, she introduced the media personality and military intelligence analyst Sebastian Gorka—who has a Ph.D. in political science—as "Dr. Gorka" and used his title throughout their interview.
The First Lady has faced significant pushback from conservatives who've sought to demean her and suggest her title is illegitimate.
In 2020, a Wall Street Journal editorial was criticized after columnist Joseph Epstein called on the First Lady to drop "Dr." from her name.
Similarly, Fox News personality Tucker Carlson once said the First Lady is a doctor “in the same sense Dr Pepper is," a comment that drew accusations of misogyny.