Ever since she debuted on Fox News, Megyn Kelly has proven she's not afraid of a little
controversy.
And whether you agree or disagree with her, she's a force to be reckoned with.
From her childhood to her next chapter, here's why Megyn Kelly is always causing a stir.
"I used to say to my mom, 'Mom, am I really smart?'
She says, 'You're about average.'"
Megyn Kelly grew up in Albany, New York, in the '70s — the daughter of a nurse and a
college professor.
And after graduating high school in '88, she studied political science at Syracuse University.
She then enrolled at Albany Law School, class of '95.
Kelly worked at two of the top law firms in the country, but recalled to GQ in 2010,
"I knew it was time to get out one day — it was around my sixth year of practice — when
I was driving home.
[…] Tears were pouring down my face.
[…] I thought to myself, 'What if I just had a car accident where I broke a bone?
[…] If I just broke my femur that would keep me out of work for a good three months.'"
"What did you wanna be when you were a kid?"
"First a cowgirl, then a journalist, then a lawyer, then a journalist again."
It was then that Kelly made a big career change — all while meeting her first husband.
Having known each other for several years prior, Kelly and Dr. Dan Kendall wed in 2001,
in Chicago.
As the Daily Mail reported, Kendall was soon offered a fellowship in Baltimore in 2003,
and there, Kelly landed a part-time job as a reporter with an ABC affiliate.
And by 2004, she was tapped by Fox News.
But while Kelly's career was on the rise, her relationship was hitting the brakes.
And the couple finally called it quits in 2006.
Kendall explained to the Daily Mail in 2010,
"I wanted a wife, and [Megyn] wanted a wife — we both needed someone to cook and clean
and support us.
[…] We were both working extremely hard and excelling at what we did."
But that wouldn't be the last time Kelly would give real romance a shot.
Kelly landed at Fox News in 2004, and got her first solo segment with "Kelly's Court."
And as her career was taking off, her love life was also looking up.
According to The New York Times, Kelly met internet security company CEO, Douglas Brunt,
on a blind date arranged by a friend in 2006.
As the story goes, Brunt wanted to find the right engagement ring to propose to Kelly,
but he couldn't wait, so he nabbed a fake ring at a costume store that looked like the
blue diamond from "Titanic."
It did the job, and the two got married in 2008.
"Look at him.
Look how good looking he is.
Who wouldn't wanna dance with him?"
The pair then welcomed their son Yates into the world in 2009, and added their daughter
Yardley to the family in 2011.
Two years later, their son Thatcher was born.
Kelly quickly became one of the biggest stars on Fox News by doing things her way — no
apologies.
In 2015, Variety covered Kelly's so-called "take-no-prisoners" interview style, noting
how she hammered GOP heavy hitters like Rand Paul and Dick Cheney.
But fans were shocked to learn that Kelly was actually registered as an Independent,
and has voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates; all of which ruffled some feathers
at the conservative network.
Kelly's notorious reputation at Fox News was even attacked by then-presidential candidate
Donald Trump.
"When I'm wounded, I go after people hard."
She opened up about the situation in the 2019 PBS documentary "America's Great Divide,"
and told Frontline that Trump and his allies had, quote, "tried to destroy [her]."
After President Trump took office in 2017, Kelly decided to part ways with Fox News,
moving to NBC for a whopping $69 million contract.
The network made Kelly part of "TODAY" and offered her several primetime specials.
"The truth is, I am kinda done with politics for now, right?"
But the host lasted just about a year at NBC before she was fired in October 2018.
According to the New Yorker, Kelly had said on her show that wearing blackface for Halloween
costumes was quote, "fine" as long as you were "a character."
The immediate backlash forced NBC to sever ties with Kelly — despite her on-air apology.
"I wanna begin with two words; I'm sorry."
Regardless of the controversial exit, CNN reported that Kelly was paid the full $69
million for her contract.
Even before she left network news for good, Kelly had begun building her own media empire.
She wrote her 2016 autobiography, "Settle For More" and dove into podcasting with "The
Megyn Kelly Show."
According to The Wall Street Journal, these days, the mogul enjoys running her own company
— and living life on her own terms.
She explained to the outlet,
"To not be doing anyone else's bidding, not having the pressure of corporate overlords
over me, that means one has to be entrepreneurial."
A source close to Kelly confirmed that she is indeed living her best life, telling Page
Six,
"There's no way she'd ever go back to a big corporate legacy media [outlet].
She loves the authenticity and freedom of having her own direct channel."
We can't wait to see what Kelly does next!
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