HELLO. HELLO, EVERYONE.
WELCOME. I'M MEGYN KELLY.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I'M SO EXCITED. SO EXCITED.
I AM ALSO A LITTLE NERVOUS. BEAR WITH ME, PLEASE.
I'M SO GRATEFUL TO ALL OF YOU THAT YOU'RE HERE AS PART OF OUR
FIRST AUDIENCE. HERE IN THE STUDIO AND YOU AT
HOME. WE HAVE THE CAST OF "WILL &
GRACE" HERE LIVE, ALONG WITH THE SHOW CREATORS.
AND WE'LL BE DISSECTING THE LATEST TWEET FROM PRESIDENT
TRUMP? WE WILL NOT BE DOING THAT.
I AM DONE WITH POLITICS FOR NOW. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
I KNOW. YOU KNOW WHY.
WE ALL FEEL IT. IT'S EVERYWHERE.
AND IT'S GOTTEN SO DARK. I'M JUST LIKE OVER.
MORE ON THAT IN A MINUTE. FIRST, LET ME SAY, EVERY DAY,
RIGHT NOW, DURING THE SHOW, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IS
TALKING ABOUT STOIES THAT HAVE CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION.
AND LE BE DISCUSS IT WITH YOU, THAT WILL BE OVER DINNER OR OVER
LUNCH WITH FRIENDS. IF MY PRODUCERS AND I DO OUR
JOBS, YOU WILL KNOW WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO GET THROUGH THE
DAY. SOMETIMES A TEAR, AND MAYBE A
LITTLE HOPE. SOME FUN.
THAT'S WHAT YOU WANT TO BE DOING.
BUT IT'S LAUNCH DAY. I WANT TO SHARE HOW "MEGYN KELLY
TODAY" CAME ABOUT. I'M FROM UPSTATE NEW YORK,
ALBANY. MY MOM WAS A NURSE, WHO TOOK
CARE OF VETERANS. AND MY DAD WAS A COLLEGE
PROFESSOR. I'M THE YOUNGEST OF THREE KIDS.
WE DID NOT HAVE A TON OF MONEY. BUT A TON OF LOVE.
YOU CAN ARGUE A LITTLE TOO MUCH SOMETIMES.
I TELL A STORY ABOUT HOW I USED TO SAY TO MY MOM AND SAY, AM I
REALLY SMART? SHE WOULD SAY, YOU'RE ABOUT
AVERAGE. WE WOULD GO CAMPING.
AND MY DAD WOULD PLAY HIS GUITAR AND PLAY JOHN DENVER AROUND THE
CAMPFIRE. AND ONE OF OUR FAVORITES IS THE
SONG "TODAY." ABOUT MAKING EACH DAY DAY COUNT.
I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT MESSAGE AS A KID.
BUT ALL TOO SOON I WOULD COME TO UNDERSTAND IT.
MY DAD DIED OF A SUDDEN HEART ATTACK WHEN I WAS 15 AND HE WAS
45. IT HAPPENED IN OUR HOME, TEN
DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. AND IT WAS THE SINGLE MOST
DEVASTATING EVENT OF MY LIFETIME.
AS HARD AS IT WAS LOSING MY DAD, IT HAS SERVED AS A CONSTANT
REMINDER OF ME TO FOLLOW THE MESSAGE OF THAT SONG TODAY,
WHICH IS DON'T WASTE TIME. MAKE RIGHT NOW MATTER.
SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW I STARTED MY CAREER AS A LAWYER.
I DID THAT FOR NINE YEARS. PUT MYSELF THROUGH LAW SCHOOL,
ALBANY LAW SCHOOL, YAY. AFTER NINE YEARS OF PRACTICE, IT
WASN'T FULFILLING. AND I WENT ON TO BECOME A TV
ANCHOR. AND THAT WAS GOOD, UNTIL IT
WASN'T. I GOT MARRIED TO DOUG.
MY BEAUTIFUL HUSBAND IS HERE. [ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
WE HAVE THREE, GREAT CHILDREN, WHO ARE 4, 6 AND AS OF TODAY, WE
HAVE AN 8-YEAR-OLD. A SPECIAL DAY.
AND I WAS MISSING TOO MUCH OF IT.
YOU KNOW? I WAS MISSING TOO MUCH OF THEM.
I WAS MISSING TOO MUCH OF DOUG AND TOO MUCH OF MYSELF.
I KNEW I NEEDED TO MAKE A CHANGE.
AND THEN CAME 2016. SO MUCH DIVISION.
SO MUCH OUTRAGE. AND I WASN'T HAPPY.
BUT I WAS SCARED TO CHANGE. FOR YEARS I DREAMED OF HOSTING
AN UPLIFTING SHOW. BUT HOW?
WHERE? WHAT?
SINCE I OFTEN HAD, SINCE THE DAY MY DAD DIED, I ASKED FOR A SIGN
OF WHAT I SHOULD DO. THIS TIME, NO SIGNS SEEMED TO
COME. LAST SUMMER I WAS FINISHING UP
MY MEMOIR CALLED "SETTLE FOR MORE."
THANK YOU. IN IT I WROTE THAT PHRASE MORE
ME MEANS MORE TIME WITH MY FAMILY, MORE JOY IN MY LIFE.
AND I ENDED THE BOOK BY QUOTING THAT SONG, "TODAY."
I'LL BE A ROVER. YOU'LL KNOW WHO I AM BY THE
SONGS THAT I SING. STILL, NO SIGN FROM MY DAD.
NOT LONG AFTER THAT, I HAD MY FIRST MEETING WITH NBC NEWS, WHO
LO AND BEHOLD, OFFERED ME A JOB. HOSTING --
[ APPLAUSE ] HOSTING A PROGRAM, WHOSE MISSION
WOULD BE TO DELIVER HOPE AND OPTIMISM AND INSPIRATION AND
EMPOWERMENT AND TO HAVE FUN. A SHOW CALLED "MEGYN KELLY
TODAY." "TODAY."
YOU'LL KNOW WHO I AM BY THE SONGS THAT I SING.
AND IT TURNS OUT, MY DAD WAS WITH ME ALL ALONG.
I JUST HAD TO LISTEN. AND TO PARAPHRASE DON McLEAN, I
AM LISTENING STILL. YOU HEARD FROM ME BUT I WANT TO
HEAR FROM YOU. EVERY DAY, WE'RE GOING TO BE
TALKING TO EACH OVER AND FIGURE OUT WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND.
THAT'S MY QUESTION FOR YOU TODAY.
WHAT IS ON YOUR MIND? AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE SOMEBODY.
FIRST UP, CHRIS FROM NEW JERSEY. HI, CHRIS.
WELCOME. [ APPLAUSE ]
>> GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING.
>> PLEASURE TO BE HERE, TODAY, MEGYN.
PLEASURE MEETING YOU IN PRINCETON.
>> I REMEMBER YOU. >> WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST
JOY? AND WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST
CHALLENGE IN TRANSITIONING FROM EVENING TELEVISION TO MORNING
TELEVISION? >> THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE BY FAR
IS THE ALARM CLOCK. THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING.
MY KIDS MADE ME A MORNING CERTAIN.
I NEVER WAS. BUT NOW, I HAVE TO GET UP BEFORE
MY KIDS. MY BIGGEST JOY HAS BEEN SO FAR
JUST ALL OF IT. HONESTLY, ALL OF IT.
PROFESSIONALLY, I FEEL FULFILLED.
AND PERSONALLY, I HAVE BEEN HAVING DINNER WITH MY HUSBAND
AND KIDS EVERY NIGHT. I KNEW I CROSSED OVER WHEN ME
SITTING AT THE DINNER TABLE WAS NO LONGER CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION.
JUST ANOTHER THING. AMAZING IN THE BEGINNING.
I WAS GETTING ALL THIS TIME WITH THEM.
AND THEN, I WAS LIKE, MAYBE I NEED TO WORK A LITTLE BIT MORE.
TIME TO GO TO THAT SPA THEY CALL WORK.
SO, IT'S THAT BALANCE. WHO ELSE DO WE GOT?
DOUG -- DOUG FROM PHILLY, THIS IS A SURPRISE.
AW. [ APPLAUSE ]
>> YOU'VE MADE US ALL LAUGH AND CRY, HONEY.
CONGRATULATIONS. PROUD OF YOU.
[ APPLAUSE ] >> YOU HAVE A SHOW TO RUN.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT? THAT IS SO SWEET BECAUSE HE IS
NOT A TV PERSON. DOUG, UNLIKE ME, LIKES HIS