Fox News Hints That They Will Not Hire Megyn Kelly Back
Like most employers, NBC waited until Friday to officially fire Megyn Kelly. Friday morning, the network confirmed that Megyn Kelly will not be coming back to her Today show. This news comes as no surprise, as Kelly made some controversial remarks about Halloween costumes and blackface earlier in the week, which sparked widespread outrage.
Kelly did return to host her show Wednesday morning following her Tuesday error, but it would prove to be her last day. As criticism of Kelly’s comments grew, NBC grew more hesitant to put her back on the air. On Thursday, a pre-taped episode of Today aired.
Now, NBC has confirmed that they and Megyn Kelly will be parting ways. There is still about a year-and-a-half left on the three-year contract Kelly signed with the network upon being hired, not to mention more than $23 million dollars left on the contract. According to USA Today, both sides are negotiating her exit.
Until the negotiations are final, Kelly is technically still employed by NBC News, according to Variety. She has hired a lawyer to manage the negotiations.
Viewers first got to know Megyn Kelly as one of the banner anchors for Fox News. She even sparred with then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during one of the early debates. Kelly left the network amid sexual harassment claims in early 2017.
Some of Kelly’s former colleagues from Fox News sent out social media messages supporting her in the wake of the controversy, including meteorologist Janice Dean. She said that Kelly is “not a racist…she’s a good person, a wonderful mom, wife, sister, friend and human being.”
It’s not likely, however, that Kelly will return to Fox News.
When asked by reporters, a network spokesperson said that there is just no room for Kelly in the current prime-time lineup.
“We are extremely happy with our entire line-up,” they said.
Megyn Kelly has had a few uncomfortable moments as a morning news anchor at NBC, a fit that never seemed quite right. Kelly was known for talking politics in prime time at her former network, so the switch seemed jarring both for her and for audiences.
Many former news anchors who suffer from public fallout for one reason or another are not often seen hosting a news show again, but then, there are exceptions. While people like Bill O’Reilly and Keith Olbermann seemed to vanish after they split with their cable news networks, Brian Williams moved to MSNBC after a controversy at NBC.
What are the chances the MSNBC will hire Megyn Kelly, too?
