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Megyn Marie Kelly (; born November 18, 1970) is an American journalist and media personality. She currently hosts a talk show and podcast, ''The Megyn Kelly Show'', that airs live daily on
SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius S ...
. She was a talk show host at
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
from 2004 to 2017 and a host and correspondent with
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
from 2017 to 2018. She is also active in posting to her
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
page and
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel. During her time at Fox News, Kelly hosted ''
America Live ''America Live with Megyn Kelly'' was an American news program that aired on the Fox News Channel. The show aired from February 1, 2010, to late 2013, and was hosted by Megyn Kelly, former co-host of ''America's Newsroom''. It aired 1:003:00 PM ...
'' and, before that, co-hosted ''
America's Newsroom ''America's Newsroom'' is an American television hard news program on Fox News Channel currently hosted by Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino live from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. on Monday through Friday. The show focuses on the development of the day's events w ...
'' with
Bill Hemmer William G. Hemmer (born November 14, 1964) is an American journalist, currently the co-anchor of ''America's Newsroom'' on the Fox News Channel, based in New York City. Early life and education On November 14, 1964, Hemmer was born in Cincin ...
. From 2007 to 2012, the two reporters hosted Fox News Channel's New Year's Eve specials. Kelly also hosted ''
The Kelly File ''The Kelly File'' was an American news television program hosted by journalist and former attorney Megyn Kelly on the Fox News Channel. The program was a spinoff of ''The O'Reilly Factor'', and focused on late-breaking stories in a live format ...
'' from October 2013 to January 2017. In 2014, she was included in the ''
TIME Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' list of the 100 most influential people. Kelly left Fox News in January 2017 and joined NBC News. She started hosting the third hour of the
morning show Breakfast television (Europe, Canada, and Australia) or morning show (United States) is a type of news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts live in the morning (typically scheduled between 5:00 and 10:00a.m., or if it is a ...
''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'' with her program titled ''
Megyn Kelly Today ''Megyn Kelly Today'' is an American daytime talk show that was broadcast by NBC. Premiering on September 25, 2017, it replaced ''Today's Take'' as the third hour of NBC's national morning show ''Today''. The program was hosted by Megyn Kelly, ...
'' in September 2017. The show was cancelled in October 2018 after a segment discussing
blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
, and she left the network in January 2019.


Early life

Kelly was born in
Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...
, to Edward Kelly, who taught at the
State University of New York at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...
, and Linda (''née'' DeMaio), a homemaker. She is of Italian and German descent on her mother's side and Irish descent on her father's. She was raised
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. Her father died of a heart attack when she was 15 years old. Kelly attended
Tecumseh Elementary School The Vancouver School Board (VSB; officially School District 39 Vancouver) is a school district based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A board of nine trustees normally manages this district that serves the city of Vancouver and the Uni ...
in suburban
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
. When she was 9, her family moved to
Delmar, New York Delmar is a hamlet in the Town of Bethlehem, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of the neighboring city of Albany. The community is bisected by NY Route 443 (Delaware Avenue), a major thoroughfare, main street, and route ...
, a suburb of Albany, where she attended
Bethlehem Central High School Bethlehem Central High School is a public high school in Delmar, New York, just south of Albany. Located at 700 Delaware Avenue, the school serves students in grades 9–12 from the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland. The school was ranked 366 ...
. She obtained an undergraduate degree in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
in 1992 and earned a J.D. from
Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Al ...
in 1995. Kelly was an associate attorney in the Chicago office of
law firm A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients (individuals or corporations) about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to r ...
Bickel & Brewer LLP. In fall 1996, she co-wrote an article, ''Litigation'', "The Conflicting Roles of Lawyer as Director", for the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
's journal. She later worked at
Jones Day Jones Day is an American multinational law firm. As of 2021, it was the eighth largest law firm in the U.S. and the 13th highest grossing law firm in the world. Originally headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Jones Day ranks first in both M&A le ...
for nine years, where one of her clients was the
credit bureau A credit bureau is a data collection agency that gathers account information from various creditors and provides that information to a consumer reporting agency in the United States, a credit reference agency in the United Kingdom, a credit repor ...
Experian Experian is an American–Irish multinational data analytics and consumer credit reporting company. Experian collects and aggregates information on over 1 billion people and businesses including 235 million individual U.S. consumers and more t ...
.


Television career


Early career

In 2003, Kelly moved to Washington, D.C., where she was hired by the
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
affiliate
WJLA-TV WJLA-TV (channel 7) is a television station in Washington, D.C., affiliated with ABC. It is one of two flagship stations of Sinclair Broadcast Group (alongside dual Fox/ MyNetworkTV affiliate WBFF hannel 45in Baltimore), and is also s ...
as a general assignment reporter. She covered national and local events, including live coverage of the confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Samuel Alito Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. ( ; born April 1, 1950) is an American lawyer and jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George W. Bush on October 31, 2005, and has served ...
and Chief Justice
John G. Roberts John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...
, the retirement of Justice
Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...
, the death of Chief Justice
William Rehnquist William Hubbs Rehnquist ( ; October 1, 1924 – September 3, 2005) was an American attorney and jurist who served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 33 years, first as an associate justice from 1972 to 1986 and then as the 16th chief justice from ...
, and the 2004 presidential election.
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
president Jonathan Klein later said he regretted not hiring Kelly as a reporter at the beginning of her career, as she was "the one talent you'd want to have from somewhere else".


2004–2017: Fox News

In 2004, Kelly applied for a job at
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
. She contributed legal segments for ''
Special Report with Brit Hume '' Special Report with Bret Baier'' (formerly ''Special Report with Brit Hume'') is an American television news and political commentary program, hosted by Bret Baier since 2009, that airs on Fox News Channel. It is broadcast live each Monday th ...
'' and hosted her own legal segment, ''Kelly's Court'', during ''
Weekend Live ''Weekend Live'' is an American news/talk television program on Fox News Channel. The program featured live news story updates from correspondents, analysis from a number of different regular contributors, interviews with newsmakers of the week, a ...
''. She appeared in a weekly segment on ''
The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
'' and occasionally filled in for
Greta Van Susteren Greta Conway Van Susteren (born June 11, 1954) is an American commentator, lawyer, and television news anchor for Newsmax TV. She was previously on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. She hosted Fox News's ''On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren'' for 14 ...
on '' On the Record'', where most of her reporting focused on legal and political matters. She occasionally contributed as an anchor, but more often as a substitute anchor on weekends. On February 1, 2010, Kelly began hosting her own two-hour afternoon show, ''
America Live ''America Live with Megyn Kelly'' was an American news program that aired on the Fox News Channel. The show aired from February 1, 2010, to late 2013, and was hosted by Megyn Kelly, former co-host of ''America's Newsroom''. It aired 1:003:00 PM ...
'', which replaced '' The Live Desk''. She was a guest panelist on Fox News' late-night satire program ''
Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld ''Red Eye'', also known as ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld'' from 2007 to 2015 and ''Red Eye w/ Tom Shillue'' from 2015 to 2017, was an American late-night/early-morning satirical talk show on Fox News, which aired at 3:00 a.m. ET Tuesday throu ...
''. In 2010, viewership for ''America Live'' increased by 20%, averaging 1,293,000 viewers, and increased by 4% in the 25–54 age demographic, averaging 268,000 viewers. In December 2010, Kelly hosted a New Year's Eve special with
Bill Hemmer William G. Hemmer (born November 14, 1964) is an American journalist, currently the co-anchor of ''America's Newsroom'' on the Fox News Channel, based in New York City. Early life and education On November 14, 1964, Hemmer was born in Cincin ...
. Kelly received media attention for her coverage of the results of the
2012 United States presidential election The 2012 United States presidential election was the 57th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were re-el ...
. On election night, Fox News' decision desk projected that Obama would win the state of
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
along with a second term after part of the results had been released. In response to Karl Rove's opposition to this projection, Kelly walked backstage to the decision desk on camera and spoke with them; she also asked Rove, "Is this just math that you do as a
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
to make yourself feel better? Or is this real?" Kelly left ''
America Live ''America Live with Megyn Kelly'' was an American news program that aired on the Fox News Channel. The show aired from February 1, 2010, to late 2013, and was hosted by Megyn Kelly, former co-host of ''America's Newsroom''. It aired 1:003:00 PM ...
'' in July 2013 and took
maternity leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" an ...
. That October she began hosting a new nightly program, ''
The Kelly File ''The Kelly File'' was an American news television program hosted by journalist and former attorney Megyn Kelly on the Fox News Channel. The program was a spinoff of ''The O'Reilly Factor'', and focused on late-breaking stories in a live format ...
''. ''The Kelly File'' was occasionally the channel's ratings leader, topping ''
The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...
''. In December 2013, Kelly commented on a ''
Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'' article on ''The Kelly File'': "For all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white, but this person is just arguing that maybe we should also have a black Santa," adding, "But Santa is what he is, and just so you know, we're just debating this because someone wrote about it." Kelly also said that Jesus was a white man later in the segment. Soon after,
Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host. He hosted ''The Daily Show'', a satirical news program on Comedy Central, from 1999 to 2015 and now hosts ''Th ...
,
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program ''The Colbert Report'' from 2005 to ...
, Rachel Maddow,
Josh Barro Joshua A. Barro is an American journalist and creator of the newsletter and podcast ''Very Serious''. He previously hosted the weekly radio program '' Left, Right, & Center'' based at KCRW Los Angeles and served as a senior editor and columnist a ...
, and others satirized her remarks. Two days later, she said on the air that her original comments were "
tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...
", and that the skin color of Jesus is "far from settled". In June 2015, Kelly interviewed
Jim Bob Duggar James Robert Duggar (born July 18, 1965) is an American real estate agent, politician, and television personality, known for the reality series ''19 Kids and Counting,'' which aired from 2008 to 2015. From 1999 to 2003, he was a Republican membe ...
and Michelle Duggar of '' 19 Kids and Counting'' regarding their son
Josh Duggar Joshua James Duggar (born March 3, 1988) is an American convicted sex offender and former reality television personality from the TLC (TV network), TLC series ''19 Kids and Counting''. The eldest of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's nineteen childre ...
's alleged molestation of five girls in 2002. She later interviewed two of their daughters, Jill and Jessa. This show's Nielsen national estimates ratings of 3.09 million viewers, above its average 2.11 million, ranked with the 3.2 million for the
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17/MAS17) was a scheduled passenger flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur that was shot down by Russian forces on 17 July 2014, while flying over eastern Ukraine. All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed. Cont ...
shootdown coverage and 7.3 million for the
Ferguson riots The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) were a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Bro ...
coverage. In the Republican Party presidential debate on August 6, 2015, Kelly asked then-presidential candidate
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
whether a man of his temperament ought to be elected president, noting that he has called various women insulting names in the past. Kelly's moderating generated a range of media and political reactions and her professionalism was criticized by Trump. Kelly responded to Trump's criticism by saying she would not "apologize for doing good journalism". Trump declined to attend the Iowa January 28 debate that she moderated. After the debate and off-camera,
Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...
said that Kelly had referred to Trump off-camera as "
Voldemort Lord Voldemort ( , in the films) is a sobriquet for Tom Marvolo Riddle, a character and the main antagonist in J. K. Rowling's series of ''Harry Potter'' novels. The character first appeared in '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Ston ...
", though Fox News denied it. Bill Maher complimented Kelly as being "so much better" than the candidates who attended the January 28 debate and argued that she was a more viable candidate for the Republican nomination. In an interview with ''
CBS News Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published ...
'', Kelly reflected that she was disappointed with the lack of support she received from coworker Bill O'Reilly and
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, the latter airing a Trump event the same time as the debate. In April, at her request, Kelly met with Trump at
Trump Tower Trump Tower is a 58-story, mixed-use skyscraper at 721–725 Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, between East 56th and 57th Streets. The building contains the headquarters for the Trump Organization, as well ...
, having "a chance to clear the air". The following month, after interviewing Trump and being met with mixed reception, she expressed interest in doing another one with him. In June, she criticized Trump for his claims against Gonzalo P. Curiel's impartiality. In October, a contentious discussion between Kelly and
Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U ...
on ''The Kelly File'' regarding Trump's sexual comments in a 2005 audio recording gained widespread social media reaction. In March 2016, it was announced that Kelly would host a one-hour prime time special on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
wherein she would interview celebrities from the worlds of "politics, entertainment, and other areas of human interest". The special aired in May 2016, which was a sweeps month. It acquired 4.8 million viewers, but placed third in the ratings.
Gabriel Sherman Gabriel Sherman is an American author. In 2014, he wrote a biography about Fox News Channel president Roger Ailes called '' The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News – and Divided a Country'', whic ...
wrote of the stakes for Kelly as "high", elaborating that with Kelly being in the final year of her contract with Fox and having confirmed her ambitions, " e special was essentially a public interview for her next job." In July 2016, amid allegations of sexual harassment on the part of Fox News CEO
Roger Ailes Roger Eugene Ailes (May 15, 1940 – May 18, 2017) was an American television executive and media consultant. He was the chairman and CEO of Fox News, Fox Television Stations and 20th Television. Ailes was a media consultant for Republica ...
, Kelly was reported to have confirmed that she herself was also subjected to his harassment. Two days after the report, Ailes resigned from Fox News and his lawyer, Susan Estrich, publicly denied the charge. During her coverage of the 2016 Republican National Convention, her attire received criticism. In a defense of Kelly, Jenavieve Hatch of ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' commented, "If you're a woman on national television reporting on a political event from hot, humid Cleveland, wearing a weather-appropriate outfit makes you the target of an endless stream of sexist commentary." In September, it was reported that Kelly would be collaborating with
Michael De Luca Michael De Luca (born August 13, 1965) is an American film studio executive, film producer and screenwriter. The former president of production at both New Line Cinema and DreamWorks, De Luca has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Bes ...
to produce ''Embeds'', a scripted comedy about reporters covering politics, to be aired on a streaming service. Kelly appeared on the cover of the February 2016 issue of '' Vanity Fair''. In 2016, she was an honoree for ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''s ''Power of Women'' for her addressing
child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...
.


2017–2018: NBC News

In late 2016, Kelly was alleged to be actively considering other news networks aside from Fox News, since her contract was a few months from expiring. In January 2017, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported that she would leave Fox News for a "triple role" at
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
, which would include a daytime talk show, a Sunday-night newsmagazine, and becoming a correspondent for major news events and political coverage. She departed Fox News on January 6, 2017, after the last episode of ''The Kelly File'' was aired. In January 2017, ''
People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...
'' quoted an unspecified source that Kelly remained under a
non-compete clause In contract law, a non-compete clause (often NCC), restrictive covenant, or covenant not to compete (CNC), is a clause under which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition agains ...
with Fox until July 2017 which would prevent her from working for a competitor until the clause expires or is canceled. On June 2, 2017, Kelly interviewed Russian president
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
, first in a panel discussion she moderated at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and later in a one-on-one interview for the premiere episode of NBC's ''
Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly ''Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly'' was an American television newsmagazine hosted by journalist and former attorney Megyn Kelly. The series premiered on NBC on June 4, 2017, as Kelly's first NBC News program since her departure to the division ...
'', which aired June 4, 2017. Kelly's daytime talk show, ''
Megyn Kelly Today ''Megyn Kelly Today'' is an American daytime talk show that was broadcast by NBC. Premiering on September 25, 2017, it replaced ''Today's Take'' as the third hour of NBC's national morning show ''Today''. The program was hosted by Megyn Kelly, ...
'', premiered in September 2017. Kelly was being paid reportedly between $15 million and $20 million a year at NBC. After an initial run of eight episodes in the summer of 2017, NBC decided to bring her newsmagazine show ''Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly'' back for summer 2018 after a hiatus for football and the Winter Olympics, but only periodically. However, this return never materialized. Instead, Kelly continued to report stories for ''
Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' is a weekly American television news magazine/reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on true crime stories with only occasion ...
'' during the summer of 2018, continuing her work for the show which she joined in 2017. On October 23, 2018, Kelly was criticized for on-air remarks she made on ''Megyn Kelly Today'' related to the appropriateness of
blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
as part of
Halloween costume Halloween costumes are costumes worn on Halloween, a festival which falls on October 31. An early reference to wearing costumes at Halloween comes from Scotland in 1585, but they may pre-date this. There are many references to the custom during ...
s. She recollected that "when I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up like a character", and defended Luann de Lesseps's use of skin darkening spray to portray
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
. After receiving backlash for her comments, Kelly issued an internal email apologizing for the remarks later that day. On October 26, 2018, NBC canceled ''Megyn Kelly Today''. It had been reported that Kelly was considering ending the program to focus on her role as a correspondent. Her employment was terminated on January 11, 2019, and she was paid the $30 million due for the remainder of her contract.


2019–present: After NBC

Kelly announced the launch of Devil May Care Media, her media production company, on September 10, 2020, with a podcast, ''The Megyn Kelly Show''. Its first episode premiered on September 28. On July 6, 2021, it was announced that the podcast would move to
Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
on September 7, 2021, to broadcast weekdays at 12 noon ET on the talk radio channel Triumph, along with a video simulcast available to Sirius XM subscribers.


Writing

In February 2016, Kelly signed an agreement with
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...
to write an autobiography scheduled for release later that year, in a deal worth more than $10 million. The book, titled '' Settle for More'', was released on November 15, 2016.


Accolades

* In 2009, Kelly received an award from
Childhelp Childhelp is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the prevention and treatment of child abuse. Founded in 1959 as International Orphans, Inc. by Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson, Childhelp is one of the largest non-profit child abuse prevent ...
for her work as a Fox News anchor covering the subject of child abuse. * Kelly was honored with an Alumni Achievement Award from the Albany Law School in 2010 for her 15th class reunion. * She was included in the 2014 ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' list of the
100 most influential people ''Time'' 100 (often stylized as ''TIME'' 100) is an annual listicle of the 100 most influential people in the world, assembled by the American news magazine ''Time''. First published in 1999 as the result of a debate among American academics, po ...
. * On September 26, 2015, Kelly was inducted into the Hall of Fame at
Bethlehem Central High School Bethlehem Central High School is a public high school in Delmar, New York, just south of Albany. Located at 700 Delaware Avenue, the school serves students in grades 9–12 from the towns of Bethlehem and New Scotland. The school was ranked 366 ...
, her alma mater.


In popular culture

'' Bombshell'', a 2019 film portraying Kelly's career at
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
, was released on December 13, 2019. Kelly is played by Charlize Theron, with other cast members including
Margot Robbie Margot Elise Robbie (; born 2 July 1990) is an Australian actress and producer. Known for her work in both blockbuster and independent films, she has received several accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Golden Glob ...
as Kayla Pospisil (a composite character),
Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
as
Gretchen Carlson Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson (born June 21, 1966) is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. Carlson appeared as the host of numerous television programs, most notably on the Saturday edition of ''The Early Show'' on ...
,
Nazanin Boniadi Nazanin Boniadi (; fa, نازنین بنیادی, ; born 22 May 1980) is an Iranian-British actress and activist. Born in Tehran and raised in London, she went to university in the United States, where she landed her first major acting role as ...
as
Rudi Bakhtiar Rudabeh Bakhtiar ( fa, رودابه بختیار, born 21 June 1966), better known as Rudi Bakhtiar, is an Iranian-American journalist and television producer. She is a producer for Reuters in Washington, D.C. She is best known for anchoring '' ...
and John Lithgow as
Roger Ailes Roger Eugene Ailes (May 15, 1940 – May 18, 2017) was an American television executive and media consultant. He was the chairman and CEO of Fox News, Fox Television Stations and 20th Television. Ailes was a media consultant for Republica ...
. The film follows events at Fox News in the lead up to Ailes resigning from the organization. Kelly said she was not consulted for the film's content.


Personal life

Kelly married Daniel Kendall, an
anesthesiologist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine ...
, in 2001. The marriage ended in divorce in 2006. In 2008, she married Douglas Brunt, who was then president and CEO of the cybersecurity firm Authentium, and who became a full-time writer and novelist. They have three children, son Yates (b. 2009), daughter Yardley (b. 2011), and son Thatcher (b. 2013). Politically, Kelly identifies as an
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...
, and told ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' in 2015 that she had voted for both Democrats and Republicans. On October 12, 2016, Kelly stated in a segment on her show with Fox News commentator Julie Roginsky that she is a lifelong
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. Kelly has appeared at a fundraiser for parental rights organization
Moms for Liberty Moms for Liberty is an American conservative 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that claims to advocate for parental rights in schools. The organization has campaigned against COVID-19 restrictions in schools, including mask and vaccine mandate ...
.


See also

*
New Yorkers in journalism New York City has been called the media capital of the world. Many journalists work in Manhattan, reporting about international, American, business, entertainment, and New York metropolitan area-related matters. New Yorkers in journalism A ...


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Megyn 1970 births Living people 20th-century American journalists 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century American journalists 21st-century Roman Catholics 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers Albany Law School alumni American autobiographers American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Italian descent American social commentators American television news anchors American women journalists American women podcasters American podcasters Catholics from Illinois Catholics from New York (state) Corporate lawyers Fox News people Illinois Independents Jones Day people Journalists from Illinois Journalists from New York (state) Lawyers from Syracuse, New York Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumni NBC News people New York (state) Independents New York (state) lawyers Lawyers from Albany, New York People from Champaign, Illinois Women autobiographers