Fox News host Megyn Kelly on Friday lashed out at critics who she said had accused her and Fox News of being racist because she insisted that Santa Claus and Jesus Crist had to be white men.

On her Wednesday show, Kelly had pointed out Slate columnist’s Aisha Harris assertion that forcing Santa only to be white caused non-white children “insecurity and shame.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white,” Kelly said at the time. “But this person is just arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa. But Santa is what he is.”

“Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn’t mean it has to change, you know?” she added. “I mean, Jesus was a white man too. He was a historical figure, that’s a verifiable fact, as is Santa — I just want the kids watching to know that.”

After Kelly sparked outraged on the Internet and became fodder late-night comics, she responded to the controversy on Friday.

“I offered a tongue-in-cheek message for any kids watching,” she explained. “Humor is a part of what we try to bring to this show, but sometimes that is lost on the humorless.”

“Many questioning whether I understand that Santa is a mythical figure, others’ suggesting that I am a racist who is outraged at the idea of a black Santa,” she continued. “Well, this would be funny if it were not so telling about our society, in particular the knee-jerk instinct by so may to race bait and to assume the worst in people. Especially people employed by the very powerful Fox News channel.”

ADVERTISEMENT

But Kelly said that it was commercialism, not racism, that forced her to declare that Santa and Jesus were white men.

“Fox News and yours truly are big targets for many people,” she concluded.

Watch this video from Fox News’ The Kelly File, broadcast Dec. 13, 2013.