Is Megyn Kelly's NBC show doomed? Reports swirl about host's future at the network.
Megyn Kelly‘s latest controversy is once again igniting rumors of behind-the-scenes tension at NBC.
After the morning show host’s remarks — and subsequent apology — about blackface made headlines Tuesday, Variety reports that there are internal discussions about “what role might make her happiest at the news division.”
“Where do you think Megyn Kelly would be happier, as part of big breaking news or forced to cover light-hearted stories that traditionally work at 9 a.m.?” a person who spoke with Kelly told the publication.
The Hollywood Reporter also cites sources claiming that Kelly met with network executives to discuss her future, and that she would like to cover more serious topics like news and politics. The talks purportedly began before this week’s drama. THR reports that Megyn Kelly Today will end after its current season.
However, it doesn’t sound like a new role at the network will appease everyone internally. CNN claims that her comment about blackface Halloween costumes “stoked disappointment and resentment within NBC,” according to multiple sources at the network, and that two years of “bitterness and backbiting” about Kelly have finally come to a head.
Both NBC Nightly News and Today addressed the controversy head on. On Wednesday’s show, Savannah Guthrie called the situation “uncomfortable” while Al Roker didn’t hold back: “The fact is, while she apologized to the staff, she owes a bigger apology to folks of color round the country,” he said on-air. Craig Melvin called Kelly’s comments “indefensible.”
According to CNN, negative feelings towards Kelly within the network aren’t just about this particular segment, as many believe she should not have been hired in the first place — especially at a purported salary of $23 million a year. These NBC staffers apparently routinely call Kelly’s show a “disaster” and other “disparaging terms.”
NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack addressed the blackface controversy at a previously scheduled town hall meeting of news staffers Wednesday.
“I assume all of you by now have seen the remarks that she made on her show yesterday about Halloween and blackface. There is no other way to put this, but I condemn those remarks, there is no place on our air or in this workplace for them. Very unfortunate,” Lack said.
He added, “As we go forward, my highest priority remains, and as we sort through this with Megyn, let there be no doubt that this is a workplace in which you need to be proud and in which we respect each other in all the ways we know is foundational to who we are.”
According to THR, sources close to Kelly say she “was disappointed by Lack’s forceful condemnation” at the town hall, considering she had apologized to her staff and to viewers.
NBC News did not immediately respond to Yahoo Entertainment’s request for comment regarding the reports about Kelly’s future at the network.
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