On Tuesday’s broadcast of Megyn Kelly Today , Kelly defended wearing blackface as part of a Halloween costume. On Wednesday, she offered a tearful on-air apology in which she said that she had learned her lesson as a result of the backlash received related to her remarks and included two African-American panelists to talk about the history of blackface that makes it so offensive. On Thursday, there were rumors that, unless a miracle happened, Megyn Kelly was out at NBC, with one source saying, “We are just working out timing of the announcement but mark my word — she is gone and will never be seen on NBC live again.”
Through it all, and even before her blackface comments, TMZ reports that Kelly’s co-workers weren’t even happy about being her co-workers, finding her “too bluntly conservative on air.” The media outlet pointed specifically to NBC’s coverage of Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. The network featured a discussion that included a panel comprised of Megyn Kelly, Lester Holt, Chuck Todd, Savannah Guthrie, and Andrea Mitchell. Mitchell was so uncomfortable with Kelly’s comments during the discussion that she left the panel in the mid-coverage.
Megyn Kelly’s NBC legacy: No one should get $23 million a year to host a news show, @ErikWemple writes in Opinions https://t.co/7c7hT4DQ4x
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 27, 2018
Employees of Megyn Kelly Today were given the opportunity to speak to NBC’s Human Resources department and told them that they were disgusted by the host’s comments about blackface and that they “didn’t like her personally.” Others she has worked with at NBC were rankled by her coverage of the sexual misconduct allegations brought against Matt Lauer and Tom Brokaw.
NBC was already reportedly in talks about getting rid of Kelly before Tuesday’s broadcast. Ratings for her show were bad and had dropped over 30 percent year-to-year in her time slot. The Daily Mail reported that she has hired attorney Bryan Freedman ostensibly to discuss her departure and what will happen regarding her $69 million contract, which their source called a “non-break deal,” meaning Kelly will likely take the entire $69 million with her.
As for what Megyn Kelly will do next, there have been rumblings about talks with Fox News about her return there or her heading to their new online venture, Fox Nation. Either possibility could be attractive to Kelly. There were many on staff at Fox News who didn’t care for her, but many of those people are no longer with the network.
So what can viewers expect to see on Monday? No one knows at this point. It will reportedly be a live show, but the host has not been revealed.
