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Megyn Kelly sparked controversy on Tuesday morning when she asked if wearing Blackface as part of a Halloween costume was actually racist.
"But what is racist?" She asked Jacob Soboroff, Melissa Rivers and Jenna Bush Hager Megyn Kelly today during a discussion on censorship of Halloween costumes. "Because really, you have problems if you are a white person who puts a black face to Halloween or a black person who puts a white face for Halloween. When I was a kid, it was fine as long as you dressed as a character.
"If anyone feels that something is offensive to him, you should say it, and it's a fair game, and you should be able to stand it if you're going to dress like that," he replied. Soboroff, 35 years old.
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"You must be able to take it," said Kelly, 47.
A representative from NBC and Kelly did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for additional comments.
"If you think it's offensive, that's probably the case," said Rivers, 50.
"But on Halloween?" Kelly asked. "On Halloween, there are guys running with fake axes that go out of their heads. It's going to be shocking. "
"I think there are limits to what you want to do," said 36-year-old Bush Hager. "You hurt people."
"Normal people somehow know where this line is," said Rivers.
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Then Kelly turned the conversation towards Real New York Housewives Lesseps star Luann wearing Diana Ross's costume at Dorinda Medley's Halloween party last year.
"Who does not like Diana Ross? She wants to look like Diana Ross for a day, and I do not know how it became racist on Halloween, "said Kelly.
Sure Watch what happens live in April, de Lesseps reacted against the suit and denied having darkened his skin. "I'm horrified," she says. "I never wanted to hurt anyone's feelings. I love Diana Ross and I totally respect Diana Ross. It was really kind of a tribute to her, and it was Halloween.
"I have not seen it, but it sounds a bit racist for me," Soboroff said.
"If she really wanted to look like Diana Ross, she should have dressed like Michael Jackson," joked Rivers.
Patton Oswalt and Padma Lakshmi criticized Kelly's point of view on social media.
"Dear @ megynkelly – you and I are about the same age. Blackface was not going well when we were kids, "tweeted Oswalt. "Take this from a big-hearted boy who just wanted to show his love for Nipsey Russell at the worst Halloween of my life."
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"I can not believe the ignorance about this in 2018. You are on national television. You have the responsibility to find out about social issues @ megynkelly. It's so damaging, "wrote Lakshmi.
"Because @megynkelly: minstrelsy is at the root of the wording of the Jim Crow laws that was used to humiliate and target black Americans. Because caricaturing another race perpetuates the dehumanization of POCs that are killed and imprisoned at a disproportionate rate in the United States, "she continued.
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