Megyn Kelly Rejects Ohio Hospital Rumor While Doubting James Talarico's Flu

Megyn Kelly on Monday dismissed a claim spread by Republican activists that James Talarico, the Democratic Senate nominee in Texas, had been treated at an Ohio mental health facility, calling it "complete baseless speculation." But the conservative host said she still doubts the flu explanation for his long absence from the campaign trail.

Talarico was off the trail for nearly two weeks before reappearing in Austin on Friday, and Republicans spent that time asking where he was. Early voting in his race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton begins October 19. Election Day is November 3.

Megyn Kelly on the Talarico Hospital Rumor

On The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly walked through the theory pushed by Caroline Wren, a Republican fundraiser, who had posted flight-tracking data for a private jet that flew from Austin to an airport near the Lindner Center of Hope, a psychiatric facility in Mason, Ohio. Kelly said "you can't go by her reporting."

"All of that is what we call complete baseless speculation," Kelly said. "We have no freaking clue who was on that plane."

She was just as skeptical of audio posted by conservative influencer Nick Sortor, in which Rhein Amacher, who made the call, gets a facility operator to say a patient by that name had been discharged. Amacher said the call happened Saturday evening, a day after Talarico was seen in Austin. "So already the story's got a smell problem," Kelly said, adding, "I'm not sure we can put any faith whatsoever in that phone call."

Amacher got the answer only after giving a made-up patient code, and the operator first said, "I do not see that name here," The Texan reported.

Why Megyn Kelly Still Doubts the Flu

Kelly's break with the activists went only so far. "I have a real very tough time believing James Talarico story that he was just sitting in bed for nine days," she said. She pointed out that his campaign never posted a photo or video of him at home while he was sick, and said, "something is wrong here." That, she said, is why people have turned to other explanations, "and maybe we'll eventually find out."

She also found the facility's denial narrow. The Lindner Center posted that "Representative James Talarico has never received treatment" there. Kelly called that "a little cagey," arguing that "received treatment is much more specific than has never checked in."

Talarico's reply on X, "I've never even been to Ohio," was different, she said. She called it "as explicit a denial as one can get and has the ring of truth to it."

Talarico told NBC News, "I just had the flu, and I feel much better." His campaign called the claim "a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory."

Timeline of Talarico's Absence

• Sept. 26 (confirmed): Talarico holds what NBC News calls his last in-person event. The outlets differ here: KSAT instead describes the Sept. 28 New York fundraiser as his last scheduled in-person event.
• Sept. 28 (confirmed): He attends a fundraiser in New York. The night before the Sept. 30 forum, he goes to an urgent care clinic in Dallas, where his campaign says he was diagnosed with the flu, according to KSAT.
• Sept. 30 (confirmed): He joins a forum virtually and says he is not feeling well.
• By Friday (confirmed): Donald Trump calls Talarico "MISSING IN ACTION." Paxton's campaign demands "proof of life" and launches a "Tala-Freak-Out Tip Line" for sightings.
• Oct. 8–9 (alleged): A private jet flies Austin to Hamilton, Ohio, and back; Wren later posts the flight data, according to The Texan. Nothing ties Talarico to the flight.
• Friday (confirmed): Talarico appears at the Austin City Limits festival, KSAT reported.
• Saturday (alleged): Amacher's call to the Lindner Center.
• Weekend (denied): The Lindner Center said Talarico never received treatment there, and Talarico said he has never been to Ohio.

What the Texas Senate Polls Show

The race was close before the absence and has stayed close. A Fox News poll of likely voters taken September 24–28 had Talarico at 51 percent to Paxton's 49. A YouGov poll of registered voters taken September 28 through October 5, almost entirely during the absence, had Talarico up 50 percent to 44. PolitiKool's polling average has Talarico ahead 47.2 percent to 43.7.

Talarico has accepted four debate invitations. Paxton has accepted none, though his campaign said in July, "of course we're going to debate," according to KSAT. Trump has called on Talarico to debate Paxton, saying Paxton is "ready, willing and able," KSAT reported. The president's push in Texas has drawn questions even on Fox News Radio.

What Happens Next

Kelly said Sortor is "doubling down," with more material "coming out any day now." She noted that Amacher had tried to shop the story to the Daily Mail, which wanted to vet it first.