No Need To ‘Obsess’! Kelly Ripa And Ryan Seacrest Cream $69 Million Mistake Megyn Kelly In The Ratings

Things have gone from bad to worse for Megyn Kelly. After an awkward premiere in late September, the Megyn Kelly Today show has continued to fall in the ratings, and rival Kelly Ripa from Live with Kelly and Ryan can breathe a sigh of relief.

Life & Style reports that the ratings between the two shows were “neck and neck” for Kelly’s premiere, which beat Live by 172,000 viewers overall and winning the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic. But, since the first show, Today has dropped by 14 percent in the ratings due to awkward interviews and Kelly’s inability to connect with viewers. This means that Ripa and Seacrest are back on top during the 9 a.m. hour.

Unfortunately, the situation continues to decline at Today, with Kelly not being able to book any A-list actors on the show, big names are reportedly giving the former Fox News anchor the cold shoulder. On top of that, Kelly’s ratings have dipped to a 1.5, with a 0.08 in female viewers age 25-54.

This is not the return on investment that NBC was looking for when they signed Kelly to a whopping $69 million three-year deal, and some executives are not happy about the mistake.

“This is insane! How on earth can they justify paying her $69 million for three years? It’s obscene and a giant slap in the face to all of NBC’s established stars. The network that created Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, and Matt Lauer will now forever be remembered for the $69 million hire of Megyn Kelly,” an unnamed NBC executive told the Daily Mail.

It was originally reported that Kelly had signed on for $17 million a year, but the Daily Mail says it is actually $23 million a year for three years. Compare that to Lauer’s salary of $25 million, and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon’s $15 million a year, and Kelly’s paycheck seems a little out of balance with the rest of the network talent.

Lauer has been with the network for 23 years and has earned his way to his current pay level, while Fallon is the king of late night, being extremely popular with viewers and a heavy-hitter on social media.

After 10 years at Fox News reporting on politics, Kelly decided to make the move to NBC and try her hand at being a mid-morning talk show host. She said she would not be talking politics on her new show, which didn’t make sense to many since that is what she is known for. An insider said to Page Six, “They spent all that money on this great political anchor and journalist. If you take those things away, what are you paying for?”

Tell us! Who would you rather watch — Kelly Ripa or Megyn Kelly? Let us know in the comments below.

[Featured Image by ABC]