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'She can say it no problem': Megyn Kelly defends Gwen Stefani amid her 'I'm Japanese' controversy

'She can say it no problem. But ‘I am Japanese’ has caused the people at Allure to ‘tsk-tsk’ her with all these experts weighing in,' Kelly said

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Megyn Kelly, 52, questioned on Wednesday, January 11, whether Gwen Stefani, 53, "stepped over the line" by claiming to be Japanese in an interview with Allure magazine despite having no ethnic ties to the nation. The seasoned conservative commentator on SiriusXM accused Allure Senior Editor Jesa Marie Calaor of sensationalizing Mrs Blake Shelton's statements while referring to her as a "very young reporter" and a "dumba**" while speaking with Stefani for the piece.

Stefani has long been charged with stealing many cultures, notably the Harajuku fashion named after Tokyo's hipster haven of streetwear. Born in California to an Italian-American father and an Irish-American mother, Stefani told Allure that she considers herself "a little bit of an Orange County girl, a little bit of a Japanese girl, a little bit of an English girl." “[It] should be OK to be inspired by other cultures because if we’re not allowed, then that’s dividing people, right?” she mused to Allure.

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Kelly continued by claiming that Stefani's dispute "is not a Hilaria Baldwin situation," in reference to the internet-shattering two-year-old Baldwin scandal involving her Spanish origin. “Gwen Stefani clearly didn’t try to misrepresent that she’s in fact Japanese. She was saying … obviously the implication was, ‘In my soul, I connected with these people and their culture’ and how beautiful it was,” Kelly said. “That is a compliment, you dumba** Allure writer. It is not a Hilaria Baldwin situation, where she claims she’s from Spain, and she’s not. Anyway, I think it’s funny.”

Kelly further attempted to compare Stefani's remarks to a transgender person coming out after advising editor Jesa Marie Calaor, an Asian American, to "get over" being called racial insults. “No problem for Gwen Stefani to come out tomorrow and say, ‘I am a man,’” Kelly stated, adding, “She can say it no problem. But ‘I am Japanese’ has caused the people at Allure to ‘tsk-tsk’ her with all these experts weighing in, saying she’s culturally appropriated again, and they’re angry," as reported by The New York Post.

In her article, Calaor questioned 'The Sweet Escape' singer about these allegations, which she said Stefani spent most of their 32-minute chat discussing. “In that time, she said more than once that she is Japanese,” the writer noted in her article.

After the piece was published, Calaor said that a representative for 'The Voice' judge contacted her and attempted to explain that the journalist had misconstrued what Stefani was trying to communicate. In response, Allure requested an anonymous reply, which Stefani and her staff reportedly declined to make.

As usual, people were quick to turn to social media over the issue, with one commenting, "This story should have the exact OPPOSITE type of attention and that is what is wrong with human beings and their little tribal egos. Get a -human- life ! Good for Gwen."

Another said, "This whole subject is exhausting." A third chimed in, "They are mentally ill." A fourth said, "One dude backing up another dude."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.