Megyn Kelly lambasted Sports Illustrated for putting transgender pop star Kim Petras on the cover of the magazine’s annual Swimsuit edition because Petras will be a turnoff to young boys.
Petras, the German-born singer-songwriter, was one of four celebrities chosen — along with actress Megan Fox, TV host Brooks Nader and 81-year-old Martha Stewart — for the rite-of-passage edition, which hits newsstands Monday.
“My understanding of the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine is it has one main purpose and that’s for 15-year-old boys to spend some alone time with it in the bathroom,” Kelly said during Thursday’s episode of her SiriusXM podcast “The Megyn Kelly Show.”
Kelly — a mother of two boys, ages 9 and 13, as well as a 12-year-old girl — then added: “I think this isn’t the way to get that done.”
The outspoken podcaster also called out the magazine for giving the prized exposure to the 30-year-old Petras, who transitioned when she was 16.
It’s another example of “a man coming in and taking over a spot that previously would have been given to a woman once again,” Kelly said.
“It’s a fraud. It’s a bait-and-switch.”
The Post has sought comment from Petras and Sports Illustrated.
The magazine’s Swimsuit issue, first launched in 1964 to fill the lull in winter sports coverage, has helped launch the careers of supermodels like Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, Kathy Ireland and Tyra Banks. It has also featured athletes and other celebrities posing in skimpy swimwear, usually from exotic locales.
Petras is the second transgender woman to be featured on the cover of the Swimsuit issue.
SI put Leyna Bloom, an actress and model who has appeared in magazines including Vogue, on its Swimsuit cover in 2021.
That was long before the current controversy of using trans influencers, most notably Bud Light’s disastrous marketing partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, which has caused sales of the nation’s top-selling beer to fall by nearly 25% compared to last year.
Petras, whose hits include the song “Unholy,” told SI that being featured on the cover was an “insane life moment” as well as “so unexpected” and “completely incredible.”
“I was so excited when I got the call to be in Sports Illustrated,” Petras told the publication.
“It’s very iconic, and a lot of very iconic people have done it before, so [it was a] big dream come true for me.”
Petras made history at this year’s Grammy Awards when she performed “Unholy” with nonbinary pop star Sam Smith.
The duet ignited controversy due to Smith’s costume, which to some appeared to depict Satan.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
