Andrew Klavan Tells Megyn Kelly That Conservative Writers Are Shut Out of Popular Culture

Top Points

• Klavan told Megyn Kelly that conservative morals are shut out of popular culture: He said creative industries often reject or sideline writers with right-leaning values, making it difficult for conservative voices to reach mainstream audiences.

• Klavan said his own novels would likely have a wider readership if people did not know his politics: He argued that many readers assume his fiction is political because of his public commentary, even though his stories are not driven by ideology.

• Kelly and Klavan agreed that ideological gatekeeping harms artistic diversity: They said the creative world loses richness and range when artists feel pressured to hide their beliefs in order to be accepted.

Full Report:

On a recent episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, author and commentator Andrew Klavan discussed the challenges faced by conservative writers trying to reach a mainstream audience. Klavan, known for his novels as well as his cultural and political commentary, told Kelly that ideological gatekeeping in publishing, entertainment and popular media makes it difficult for conservative voices to be fully accepted by a national readership.

Klavan Says Conservative Morality Is Excluded From Popular Culture

Klavan explained that much of modern popular culture is shaped by creative industries that lean heavily left, both politically and ideologically. Because of this, he said, there is little tolerance for moral frameworks or worldviews that come from the political right. Writers who hold conservative values, he argued, often find their work dismissed or limited not because of quality but because of the assumptions made about their beliefs.

He told Kelly that even when conservative writers produce stories with universal themes and broad appeal, industry gatekeepers may view the work through a political lens. As a result, he said, books, films and other projects that challenge left-leaning assumptions rarely receive the same level of promotion, distribution or cultural recognition.

Klavan Believes a Larger Audience Would Enjoy His Work if Politics Were Removed From the Equation

While acknowledging that he has been fortunate in his career, Klavan said he believes his novels could reach far more readers if they were presented without the political associations attached to his public persona. He told Kelly that many people assume his fiction is political simply because of his conservative commentary, even though his novels, thrillers, young-adult adventures and psychological dramas, are not political works.

Klavan said that for many conservative artists, the barrier to reaching a larger audience is not the content itself but the cultural stigma attached to their public identity. If readers were unaware of his politics, he argued, many would judge the stories on their merits alone and enjoy them without hesitation.

Kelly and Klavan Discuss the Cost of Honesty in Creative Industries

Kelly agreed that conservative artists often face professional limitations for being open about their beliefs. She noted that while many industries claim to champion diversity and inclusion, they are less tolerant when diversity includes ideological variety. Klavan said this climate pressures artists to remain silent about their convictions if they hope to be embraced by mainstream cultural institutions.

Both Kelly and Klavan argued that this environment ultimately harms the creative world, because it narrows the range of stories that reach the public and discourages open artistic exploration across the political spectrum.

A Call for Cultural Openness

Klavan concluded that he will continue writing the stories he believes in, regardless of how his political identity may affect their reach. He expressed gratitude for his readers and for the career he has built, but said he remains convinced that a wider audience would embrace his work if popular culture were less ideologically rigid.

Kelly echoed the sentiment, saying that audiences benefit most when they are allowed to judge writers by their talent and ideas rather than their politics.

References

• The Megyn Kelly Show. Episode featuring Andrew Klavan discussing ideological barriers in popular culture and challenges faced by conservative writers. Megyn Kelly, SiriusXM.

• Klavan, Andrew. Commentary on creative limitations and the impact of political identity on readership. The Megyn Kelly Show, SiriusXM.

• Kelly, Megyn. Discussion with Andrew Klavan on cultural gatekeeping and the marginalization of conservative viewpoints. The Megyn Kelly Show, SiriusXM.