Megyn Kelly might be taking a less prominent role at NBC News after her controversial comments about blackface on Tuesday.
Kelly, who has apologized for wondering why white people dressing up in blackface was inappropriate, but whose peers and bosses continue to criticize her, did not host Megyn Kelly Today on Thursday. (The network chose to air a repeat, instead.) And multiple outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, report the show is not expected to survive. CNN says she’s unlikely to return at all to the show, regardless of how long it stays on the air.
Creative Arts Agency, Kelly’s agent, has reportedly dropped her as a client as well and she’s said to have hired an attorney, which could signal a looming fight about her contract, which is estimated at $23 million per year. (She became NBC’s highest paid anchor now after Matt Lauer was fired in a sex scandal.)
The Daily Mail adds Kelly’s team is already reaching out to other networks, in case a deal with NBC can’t be worked out to both sides’ satisfaction.
Variety, meanwhile, reports the former Fox News anchor is talking to the network about a new role in the news division—and those conversations started before this latest controversy. Kelly is said to be uncomfortable with the lighter, fluffier style of morning TV.
Kelly’s comments offended many, but chief among those was Today show stalwart Al Roker. Wednesday morning he rebuked Kelly on the show, saying “The fact is, while she apologized to the staff, she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country.”
Roker has a powerful voice at NBC. It was his stance on Don Imus in 2007 that led to the shock jock being fired from MSNBC after he referred to players on the Rutgers women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos.”