Megyn Kelly Goes Dark At NBC: She’s Out This Week, May Not Come Back

the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit 2018 at Ritz Carlton Hotel on October 2, 2018 in Laguna Niguel, California.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA - OCTOBER 02: Megyn Kelly speaks onstage at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit 2018 at Ritz Carlton Hotel on October 2, 2018 in Laguna Niguel, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Fortune)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Megyn Kelly did not host her morning show on Thursday and will be on “tape” for the rest of the week, an NBC News spokesperson told TPM Thursday. And Kelly may not come back, according to new reports from CNN and Variety.

“Given the circumstances, ‘Megyn Kelly Today’ will be on tape the rest of the week,” the spokesperson told TPM.

The move comes just days after Kelly was widely criticized for claiming that the use of blackface makeup was acceptable if it was for a Halloween costume. Kelly apologized on air Tuesday and claimed she didn’t know about blackface’s racist roots until this week. But sources told CNN and Variety that the cancellation of “Megyn Kelly Today” has been a topic of discussion since before the blackface backlash.

Sources told CNN that the show — which NBC staffers reportedly called a “disaster” — will be over soon, but the end date remains unclear. Kelly, who is set to help with midterm coverage in less than two weeks, has left her talent agency and hired an attorney, according to CNN, which noted the retention of a lawyer could mean she’s gearing up for a fight over her three-year $69 million contract.

It’s unclear if the show’s cancellation signals the end of Kelly’s tenure at NBC, but a person who spoke with Kelly told Variety that she’s in talks with NBC News about taking a position in the cable news arena. Kelly previously worked at Fox for four years, most notably as the evening news anchor of “The Kelly File.”

”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.?” the source who spoke to Kelly told Variety.

But Kelly has been openly critical of NBC News’ management for several months, including NBC News Chairman Andy Lack, who did not hide his disappointment with Kelly’s blackface remarks during an NBC town hall meeting with staff this week.

“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 reportedly told staff.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. she’s in talks with NBC News about taking a position in the cable news arena.

    Not just no but hell no

  2. It’s unclear if the show’s cancellation signals the end of Kelly’s tenure at NBC, but a person who spoke with Kelly told Variety that she’s in talks with NBC News about taking a position in the cable news arena.

    So NBC wants to add a Fox News slant to their hard news coverage of elections and other important events. Good to know. They can spend a few weeks every now and then defending and explaining Kelly's wingnut bullshit to viewers until her contract is fulfilled. Sounds like a plan.
  3. Fox would take her back in a heartbeat…

    BTW, “Megyn goes dark” is a pretty cute dig…

  4. She was perfectly situated at Fox News because she is a died-in-the-wool racist and she could let that flag fly there.
    Not only did no one care, it was applauded. However, she (like all feral trumpers) just refuse to understand that it won’t fly with the majority of America. It just won’t no matter how much their Dear Leader says it.

  5. Avatar for j.dave j.dave says:

    I did notsee this coming.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

67 more replies

Participants

Avatar for pluckyinky Avatar for ghost Avatar for brooklyndweller Avatar for avattoir Avatar for cervantes Avatar for steviedee111 Avatar for dont Avatar for eglot Avatar for ronbyers Avatar for schmed Avatar for thomasmatthew Avatar for thunderclapnewman Avatar for beattycat Avatar for jinnj Avatar for junebug Avatar for milord Avatar for rickjones Avatar for birdford Avatar for asturcot Avatar for maximus Avatar for gregangelo Avatar for occamscoin Avatar for tomsrant Avatar for haddockbranzini

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: