Megyn Kelly could be in some trouble on the Today show, with a report indicating that she is suffering a huge likeability problem after a first week that has been called disastrous.
The former Fox News host came to the popular morning show amid some big fanfare, getting her own branded hour Megyn Kelly Today that kicked off on Monday. But after some difficult interviews with Debra Messing and Jane Fonda amid some other flops, there are signs that viewers are already turning on Kelly.
The New York Post reported that there is an internal poll circulating among the broadcast industry showing that Megyn Kelly had a “dislike” score of 45 among viewers. To put that into some context, Matt Lauer scored only a 22 on that same scale the week after he reportedly had Ann Curry fired from the show, a time when he suffered a huge backlash from viewers.
The report noted that Megyn Kelly also brought in lower ratings for that hour of the Today show compared to when Al Roker and Tamron Hall hosted.
“There are big drops versus last week and last year,” a source told the New York Post . “Early indications are [that] the rest of the week is headed in the wrong direction.”
Critics are already suggesting that the Today show could scrap the entire Megyn Kelly project and start over. A report from Vulture noted that the disaster extended beyond Kelly herself, with a cameraman wandering into a shot during Thursday’s show and letting out an expletive as he did.
And as she closed out the week, Kelly seemed to admit that the bad reviews had made it through to her.
“I just want to take a moment to thank all of you so much for watching this week,” Kelly said on Friday’s show. “It’s been very exciting. It has been educational. I’ve just been so delighted at the media response, which has really been — no.”
The report went on to suggest that Megyn Kelly Today needed to be totally revamped, including moving her back into the normal Today show studio to improve continuity with the other hours of the show. The report also suggested allowing Kelly to delve into politics, which is her wheelhouse as a former Fox News stalwart.
But while Megyn Kelly could be in a slump after her first week on the Today show, there are signs that her likability may not stay down for long. Matt Lauer was able to recover after his low period, and Kelly still has plenty of time to make changes to her Megyn Kelly Today hour.
[Featured Image by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images]
