| Megyn Kelly Today | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Talk show |
| Presented by | Megyn Kelly |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 282 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | Studio 6-A,Rockefeller Center |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | September 25, 2017 (2017-9-25) – October 24, 2018 (2018-10-24) |
| Related | |
| Today's Take | |
Megyn Kelly Today is an Americandaytimetalk show that was broadcast byNBC. Premiering on September 25, 2017, it replacedToday's Take as the third hour of NBC's nationalmorning showToday. The program was hosted byMegyn Kelly, who had joinedNBC News earlier in the year after leavingFox News, and was the second of two NBC News programs promised to Kelly upon her arrival, alongside hernewsmagazineSunday Night with Megyn Kelly.[1][2]
Megyn Kelly Today received negative reviews upon its premiere, facing criticism for the quality of Kelly's hosting and her appropriateness as a daytime personality, as well as on-air interactions that proved controversial. On October 26, 2018, in the midst of backlash over remarks by Kelly on the program regardingblackface, and reports suggesting she wished to focus more on her role as an NBC News correspondent, NBC announced that the program had been canceled. Kelly ultimately departed NBC in January 2019.
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After it was announced in January 2017 that formerFox News anchorMegyn Kelly would move to NBC News and host a new daytime program,The New York Times reported on January 27, 2017, that NBC was planning to discontinueToday's Take, and schedule Kelly's new show at either 9 or 10 a.m. (either replacingToday's Take in its former timeslot, or in the latter scenario, displacingToday with Kathie Lee and Hoda to 9). It was reported that NBC staff had not yet determined whether Kelly's new program would be branded as part ofToday or as a stand-alone program.[3][4]
It was subsequently announced that her new show would be titledMegyn Kelly Today, and premiere on September 25, 2017, as a replacement forToday's Take. The new program is structured as atalk show with a studio audience. Critics noted that the program was likely intended as a more direct competitor to the syndicated talk showLive with Kelly and Ryan, with Megyn Kelly trying to convey a "softer" personality to contrast her Fox News reputation of being an aggressive journalist and interviewer.[5][6][7][8]
The first episode received negative reviews from critics, panning Kelly for her "awkward," "chilly" performance and failure to connect with the audience.[9][10][11] The show attracted controversy during its first week of episodes, which included actressDebra Messing expressing regret for appearing on the program after Kelly joked aboutWill & Grace inspiring a fan to become gay[12] as well as Kelly's questioning ofJane Fonda about her plastic surgery procedures. The incidents prompted widespread criticism of Kelly's daytime hosting abilities.[13][14] The following week, Kelly again ignited controversy during a panel discussion following amass shooting in Las Vegas, when Kelly interrupted and spoke overTom Brokaw after he criticized theNational Rifle Association, saying "Yep. Yep, got it. Gotta leave it at that, Tom. . . . We’re up against a hard break."[15]
During the show's debut week, viewership was down 12 percent from the same time slot compared to the year prior; the second week brought in 24 percent fewer viewers, and the third week saw a 23 percent smaller audience. Additionally, the show trailed in the ratings behindLive with Kelly and Ryan.[15] NBC personalities such asAl Roker,Savannah Guthrie, andHoda Kotb appeared as co-hosts on various episodes in an attempt to bolster ratings.[15] A month after the premiere, Julia Wallace wrote inUSA Today that the show was "a disaster", but blamed NBC for trying to portray Kelly as an "almost comical" imitation ofKelly Ripa instead of tapping into the abilities that made her a success at Fox News.[16]
Variety notedMegyn Kelly Today for its coverage and discussions of theMe Too movement, including allegations targeting fellow NBC personalities such asMatt Lauer.[17]
During the October 23, 2018 episode, Kelly participated in a panel discussion on the appropriateness ofblackface inHalloween costumes. During the segment—whose panel did not contain any African American participants[18]—Kelly recollected that "Truly, you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween or a black person who put on whiteface for Halloween. When I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up as like a character", and added that "Luann de Lesseps wants to look likeDiana Ross for one day, and I don't know how that got racist on Halloween."[18]
Kelly's comments were widely interpreted as a defense of the practice, which is generally considered to be a derogatory caricature of African Americans.[19] Critics likened Kelly's remarks to a previous incident during her tenure at Fox News Channel, where Kelly asserted thatJesus andSanta Clauswere white.[20][21]
Later that day, Kelly issued an internal email apologizing for the remarks, stating that "I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry", and that "I've never been a 'politically correct' kind of person — but I understand that we do need to be more sensitive in this day and age. Particularly on race and ethnicity issues which, far from being healed, have been exacerbated in our politics over the past year. This is a time for more understanding, love, sensitivity and honor, and I want to be part of that. I look forward to continuing that discussion."[19]
Kelly opened the October 24 episode with a public apology, and joined African American journalistsAmy Holmes andRoland Martin in a discussion over the controversies surrounding blackface.[21][22] The same day,The Hollywood Reporter reported that Kelly had left theCreative Artists Agency, and had hired an attorney. The week's remaining episodes were replaced by encores.[23][24][25]
Alongside the blackface controversy, it was reported that Kelly had discussed ending the program so she could focus more on her role as an NBC News correspondent, but that the comments may have an impact on her overall future at the network.[23] Viewership ofMegyn Kelly Today had been stable, but not as high as that ofToday's Take.[17]
On October 26, 2018, NBC officially announced thatMegyn Kelly Today had been canceled, and that its time slot would be assumed by other anchors. Kelly's attorney stated that her future with NBC News was to be determined.[18][26] Kelly terminated her contract with NBC in January 2019.[27][28]
After the program's cancellation, theMegyn Kelly Today set and studio were used for longer than its intended use for various other NBC specials and productions, including occasional audience-based episodes ofToday with Hoda & Jenna andAll In with Chris Hayes (MSNBC) before theCOVID-19 pandemic made those uses untenable, and as an interim studio forThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon from July 13, 2020, to March 22, 2021, followed by aPeacock spin-off show,The Kids Tonight Show.[29][30] The studio was finally emptied and remodeled in the summer of 2023, becoming the new home ofThe Kelly Clarkson Show in the fall of that year whenKelly Clarkson relocated her NBCUniversal-produced talk show to New York.
