Megyn Kelly's time at NBC is over.
The Fox News transplant and host of Megyn Kelly Today was abruptly let go from the network
following her on-air arguments in favor of blackface — but these comments were just
the breaking point of a relationship that had problems from the start.
Here are the real reasons why she's leaving NBC.
Megyn Kelly has made plenty of missteps at NBC, but her most egregious blunder, stunning
both viewers and network executives, was her series of utterly tone-deaf comments on the
racist practice of blackface.
In a segment that aired October 23, 2018, Kelly defended the idea of darkening one's
skin for Halloween costumes, claiming that the practice had been unobjectionable when
she was a kid.
She put forth this argument on national TV with a panel of entirely white guests — and
her comments sparked backlash immediately.
After a full day of lacerating commentary from both inside and outside NBC, Kelly returned
to her show the following day with an apology.
But her mea culpa didn't go over with everyone, with the host still sticking to core parts
of her argument.
Her in-studio audience gave her a standing ovation, but outside of the studio, the damage
was done.
Kelly's blackface comments didn't just insult some viewers.
Her rhetoric also infuriated her colleagues at NBC.
In a stunning break from the typical "we're all friends" vibe of the network's daytime
programming, hosts Al Roker and Craig Melvin spent time on air calling Kelly out, with
Melvin reportedly describing Kelly's words as, quote, "ignorant and racist."
While Roker acknowledged that Kelly had apologized to the NBC staff for her actions, he still
felt it wasn't enough to make amends.
"she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country."
Sources told Radar Online that Roker actually encouraged NBC to fire Kelly after her comments,
reportedly being disgusted both with Kelly and the network itself for giving her a platform.
And Roker wasn't alone — many of Kelly's other colleagues also reportedly refused to
acknowledge her after the incident.
Over the course of her media career, Kelly has built up a remarkable history of racially-charged
rhetoric, ranging from the insensitive to the outright insulting.
As many pointed out following her blackface comments, Kelly had previously referred to
first lady Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama", slipped into a stereotypical black
accent while interviewing comedian Leslie Jones, insisted to viewers that Santa Claus
and Jesus Christ are white, and consistently downplayed or ignored the harms of racism
in her reporting.
Her blackface comments were seen as just another incident in a well-established pattern of
behavior, inviting NBC top brass to reevaluate why they had ever tried to bring her divisive
politics into the Today show fold at all.
After her blackface comments, the cast of House of Cards pulled out of an appearance
on Kelly's show, unwilling to be associated with the increasingly-toxic personality.
But they weren't the first guests to object to appearing on her show.
Kelly came out of the gates swinging in the first week of her show in September 2017,
offending guest Jane Fonda with an unexpected line of questioning about her history of plastic
surgery.
Cast members of the revived Will and Grace were also bothered by their experiences on
her show, with actress Debra Messing stating that she regretted being involved with the
awkward appearance.
After Kelly stood up for blackface, it was inevitable that more celebs would keep their
distance from the show, taking their promotional work elsewhere to avoid being associated with
her.
Megyn Kelly's racial insensitivity may have provided the spark that ended her NBC career,
but her biggest troubles came from her poor relationships with the network's top brass.
Throughout her time on Megyn Kelly Today, the host frequently brought up controversial
issues that cast NBC in a bad light, causing problems for her corporate bosses.
Much of the friction had to do with Kelly's focus on the #MeToo movement, particularly
controversies centering around NBC.
Instead of toeing the company line, Kelly did an entire segment on NBC's decision not
to report on then-contributor Ronan Farrow's exposé on Harvey Weinstein, a story which
eventually ran in The New Yorker.
She also spent time reporting on the allegations against ousted NBC personality Matt Lauer,
and tried to pursue a segment on alleged sexism at E!.
As she put it in an interview with Us Weekly,
"I'm not going to let anyone stop me at NBC."
After it became clear that Kelly's stance on blackface was going to cost her a job,
discussion turned again to why NBC had ever hired such a controversial personality in
the first place.
As CNN host Don Lemon put it during an appearance on Cuomo Prime Time,
"They knew exactly what they were getting when they hired Megyn Kelly."
Lemon said the blackface episode — as well as Kelly's numerous other on-air controversies
— could've been avoided by just staying far away from the former Fox News firebrand.
Lemon said,
"She made some mistakes and now she's suffering the consequences.
But I also think that it is partially the fault of the people who hired her."
Lemon added that he didn't necessarily think Kelly herself was racist, but that her commentary
was insensitive and ignorant.
That part is Kelly's fault alone.
But don't feel too sorry for her — while she may be fired from the network, she's expected
to receive a payout in the neighborhood of $69 million.