It was Megyn Kelly who, instead of offering condolences, turned her attention to Cindy Crawford’s parenting in the wake of her son’s death, a decision that drew swift and pointed condemnation from social media users who called her remarks cruel and poorly timed.
Presley Gerber’s Death
Presley Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died Sunday in what has been described as a suspected overdose. He passed away at a rehabilitation clinic in Santa Monica, California.
Following his death, the family released a brief statement asking for privacy. They said they were “asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.” No further details about the circumstances have been shared publicly.
Megyn Kelly’s Controversial Comments
On Monday, Megyn Kelly addressed Presley’s death on her podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, but rather than offering condolences, she turned her attention to Crawford’s parenting choices. Kelly pointed to Presley’s early entry into modeling as evidence of poor judgment.
“Let’s face it, both kids were commercialized. He said he was signed when he was 15. And Cindy Crawford of all people should have known the dangers of that. She should have known the dangers,” Kelly said.
She went further, referencing a face tattoo Presley got in 2020 reading “misunderstood.” “When your 21-year-old son is getting a face tattoo and the word he chooses to tattoo is ‘misunderstood,’ you’ve got serious problems in your family,” Kelly continued. “That’s an all-hands-on-deck situation.”
Kelly later shared a clip of her remarks on X. The response was overwhelmingly critical.
Public Backlash
Social media users quickly condemned Kelly’s comments, with many calling them vile, disgusting, cruel and despicable. Commenters argued that criticizing grieving parents so soon after their son’s death crossed a line that had nothing to do with insight or accountability.
One user wrote, “You are a trash human. Who do you think you are to criticize a mother after she lost her son. Fact: people die from drugs every day. Career, class, parenting do not matter.”
Another questioned Kelly’s judgment directly: “What is wrong with you? Disrespecting the parents of their beloved, dead son. Your kids are still small. I hope you never experience this type of loss and then have some mouthpiece opine about the parents’ failure. Sick.”
A third commenter framed Kelly’s remarks as cruelty disguised as commentary: “A young man is dead, and your first instinct is to critique his parents. This isn’t insight. It’s cruelty dressed up as commentary.”
Others echoed similar sentiments. “I will not listen because if you are bashing the mother or the parents the day of their son’s dead by addiction your level of compassion is less than zero. You are a despicable human being,” one user wrote, while another simply pleaded, “Please just leave them alone. This is such a sad and tragic experience for a family to go through. Some empathy, PLEASE.”
Personal Stories and Continued Criticism
Several commenters shared personal connections to addiction as they pushed back on Kelly’s framing. “As the mother of an addict, my heart is broken for the Gerber family. Addiction doesn’t care who you are or where you come from. Then add mental health struggles, and it becomes every parents’ worst nightmare,” one user said.
Another user urged restraint until Kelly’s own children reached adulthood: “I think you should hold judgment until your kids are in their mid-20s. Addiction can happen to anyone. Shaming a whole family who just lost a child they loved is absolutely disgusting. You are so ignorant.”
One of the more direct responses summed up the broader reaction in a single line: “You are vile and disgusting. Did I mention soulless?”
The Gerber family’s request for privacy remains their only public statement following Presley’s death.