After a week of buildup, backlash, retooling, and preemption, Megyn Kelly’s interview with Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones aired without incident Sunday night on NBC. 

Kelly faced criticism from the relatives of victims of the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, for giving Jones a platform for his conspiracy theories.  Jones has said he believes that the shooting was a government hoax that used child actors. 

Reactions to the interview varied widely, with some continuing to argue that giving Jones a platform was the wrong idea.  But many viewers — liberal, moderate, and conservative — applauded Kelly for doing her job and giving Jones a tough interview. 

Watching @megynkelly interview with Alex Jones, I'm even more convinced that her piece wasn't just ok to do, but important journalism. —  Dan Abrams (@danabrams) June 18, 2017


Having suggested we wait to see how Megyn Kelley did with Jones, she did fine.  No rational viewer could feel anything for him but disgust. —  Jeff Greenfield (@greenfield64) June 19, 2017

#Megyn Kelly did more to expose the real Alex Jones and than anyone else on TV.  Solid journalism. —  Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) June 18, 2017

As always @megynkelly's journalistic bonafides on display with Jones interview.  A brilliant expose of a dangerously powerful media troll. —  Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) June 19, 2017

Just saw @megynkelly intv of Alex Jones.  She did an amazing job.  Critics have egg on their face. —  Jamie Weinstein (@Jamie_Weinstein) June 19, 2017

.@megynkelly scored high marks with Alex Jones interview.  Nailed the scumbug. —  Tina Brown (@TinaBrownLM) June 18, 2017

Kelly did a much better job with Jones than Pelley did with Cernovich.  Both pieces intended for audiences that didn't know much about either — Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) June 18, 2017

If you're unfamiliar with Alex Jones, and are watching this Megyn Kelly report, hard to imagine you walk away believing anything he says. —  Kyle Blaine (@kyletblaine) June 18, 2017

We attacked @megynkelly for the Alex Jones interview, after watching it, we have to apologize.  What you did was important.  We were wrong. —  The Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) June 19, 2017

I think @megynkelly proved people underestimated her.  She did a great and necessary job interviewing Alex Jones. —  Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 19, 2017

Not every review of the interview was glowing, though.  In a Boston Globe opinion piece headlined “Megyn Kelly’s interview with a sweaty, stammering Alex Jones wasn’t worth it,” University of Maine journalism professor Michael J. Socolow criticized Kelly for being unable to glean any new information from Jones, arguing that the piece “lacked real news value.” 

“As in her interviews with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Kelly proved unable to generate surprising, interesting, or even novel responses from her subject,” Socolow wrote. “ The package’s heat was sparked only by Kelly’s skeptical challenges — largely sidestepped by a stammering, sweaty Jones — and cutaways to Kelly’s disapproving facial expressions.” 

Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan gave the segment a mixed review as well, saying that it avoided any major pratfalls but still elevated Jones’ profile. 

Bottom line on NBC's Alex Jones piece: Strong editing gave it an edge & made him look like a kook.  Still a win for him; boosts his profile. —  Margaret Sullivan (@Sulliview) June 18, 2017

Perhaps the most interesting review came from Politico’s Jack Shafer, who criticized those who wanted the interview scrapped in the first place, comparing their pre-adjudication of the interview to censorship in Soviet Russia. 

“We don’t abandon free thought and press freedom just because there’s an outside chance that a piece of journalism like Kelly’s might fall to the advantage of a sordid manipulator or a demagogue,” Shafer wrote the piece, titled ‘Megyn Kelly Pantses Alex Jones.’ “ Nor does the unspeakable pain the Sandy Hook parents have endured because of Jones mean we must cleanse the news sphere of coverage that might further upset them.  Surely it makes more sense to deal straight on with tin-pots like Jones than cover our eyes and ears in hopes he’ll vanish by himself.” 


Many chose not to watch the interview at all, including relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting. 

Won't watch anyone who denies the agony of survivors of gun violence.  Will honor their suffering and work to do better. # SurvivorStrong — Heather Whaley (@HeatherWhaley) June 19, 2017

My mom was a hero and I've lived each day since 12/14 to make her proud.  My life will not be diminished by #ShameonNBC I am #SurvivorStrong pic.twitter.com/4EnO9MgG08 — msherlac (@msherlac) June 18, 2017

Today, instead of tuning in to #JonesVsKelly, we celebrated my daughter's 5th birthday. # SurvivorStrong https://t.co/B8f3L1pWAy — cristina hassinger (@chass63) June 19, 2017

Nelba Márquez-Greene, whose daughter was killed in the shooting and has been openly critical of Kelly leading up to the interview, spent the evening at the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut.