''Megyn Kelly Today'' is an American
daytime
Daytime as observed on Earth is the period of the day during which a given location experiences natural illumination from direct sunlight. Daytime occurs when the Sun appears above the local horizon, that is, anywhere on the globe's hemis ...
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
that was broadcast by
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
. Premiering on September 25, 2017, it replaced ''Today's Take'' as the third hour of NBC's national
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 A ...
''. The program was hosted by
Megyn Kelly
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. She was a talk show host at Fox News from 200 ...
, who had joined
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 ...
earlier in the year after leaving
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 ...
, and was the second of two NBC News programs promised to Kelly upon her arrival, alongside her
newsmagazine
A news magazine is a typed, printed, and published magazine, radio or television program, usually published weekly, consisting of articles about current events. News magazines generally discuss stories, in greater depth than do newspapers or new ...
''
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 ...
''.
''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 regarding
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 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.
History
![Megyn Kelly (2018-03-01) (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Megyn_Kelly_%282018-03-01%29_%28cropped%29.jpg)
After it was announced in January 2017 that former
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 ...
anchor
Megyn Kelly
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. She was a talk show host at Fox News from 200 ...
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 discontinue ''
Today's Take'', and schedule Kelly's new show at either 9 or 10 a.m. (either replacing ''Today's Take'' in its former timeslot, or in the latter scenario, displacing ''Today 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 of ''Today'' or as a stand-alone program.
It was subsequently announced that her new show would be titled ''Megyn Kelly Today'', and premiere on September 25, 2017 as a replacement for ''Today's Take''. The new program is structured as a
talk show
A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show ...
with a studio audience. Critics noted that the program was likely intended as a more direct competitor to the syndicated talk show ''
Live with Kelly and Ryan
''Live with Kelly and Ryan'' (or simply ''Live'') is an American syndicated morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. Executive produced by Michael Gelman, the ''Live with...'' show formula has aired under various hosts since ...
'', with Megyn Kelly trying to convey a "softer" personality to contrast her Fox News reputation of being an aggressive journalist and interviewer.
Reception
The first episode received negative reviews from critics, panning Kelly for her "awkward," "chilly" performance and failure to connect with the audience. The show attracted controversy during its first week of episodes, which included actress
Debra Messing
Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as '' Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...
expressing regret for appearing on the program after Kelly asked a ''
Will & Grace
''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra Messing), ...
'' fan if the show inspired him to be homosexual, as well as Kelly's questioning of
Jane Fonda about her plastic surgery procedures. The incidents prompted widespread criticism of Kelly's daytime hosting abilities. The following week, Kelly again ignited controversy during a panel discussion following a
mass shooting in Las Vegas, when Kelly interrupted and spoke over
Tom Brokaw
Thomas John Brokaw (; born February 6, 1940) is an American retired network television journalist and author. He first served as the co-anchor of ''The Today Show'' from 1976 to 1981 with Jane Pauley, then as the anchor and managing editor of '' ...
after he criticized the
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
, saying "Yep. Yep, got it. Gotta leave it at that, Tom. . . . We’re up against a hard break."
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 behind ''Live with Kelly and Ryan''.
NBC personalities such as
Al Roker
Albert Lincoln Roker Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, and author. He is the current weather anchor on NBC's '' Today'', and occasionally co-hosts '' 3rd Hour Today''. He has an in ...
,
Savannah Guthrie
Savannah Clark Guthrie (born December 27, 1971) is an American broadcast journalist and attorney. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News, morning show ''Today'', a position she has held since July 2012.
Guthrie joined NBC News in September 2 ...
, and
Hoda Kotb
Hoda Kotb ( ; arz, هدى قطب, ''Hudā Quṭb''; ; born August 9, 1964) is an American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. She is a main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show ''Today'' and co-host of its entertainment ...
appeared as co-hosts on various episodes in an attempt to bolster ratings.
A month after the premiere, Julia Wallace wrote in ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
'' that the show was "a disaster", but blamed NBC for trying to portray Kelly as an "almost comical" imitation of
Kelly Ripa
Kelly Ripa (; born October 2, 1970) is an American actress and talk show host. Since 2001, she has been the co-host of the syndicated morning talk show '' Live! with Kelly and Ryan'' in various formats.
As an actress, Ripa's best known roles ...
instead of tapping into the abilities that made her a success at Fox News.
''Variety'' noted ''Megyn Kelly Today'' for its coverage and discussions of the
Me Too movement
#MeToo is a social movement against sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape culture, in which people publicize their experiences of sexual abuse or sexual harassment. The phrase "Me Too" was initially used in this context on social media in ...
, including allegations targeting fellow NBC personalities such as
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd Lauer (; born December 30, 1957) is an American former television news personality, best known for his work with NBC News. After serving as a local news personality in New York City on WNBC, his first national exposure was as the ne ...
.
Blackface controversy
During the October 23, 2018 episode, Kelly participated in a panel discussion on 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 ...
in
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. During the segment—whose panel did not contain any African American participants
—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 like
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 ...
for one day, and I don't know how that got racist on Halloween."
Kelly's comments were widely interpreted as a defense of the practice, which is generally considered to be a derogatory caricature of African Americans.
Critics likened Kelly's remarks to a previous incident during her tenure at Fox News Channel, where Kelly asserted that
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
and
Santa Claus
Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
were white.
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
''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
' 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."
Kelly opened the October 24 episode with a public apology, and joined African American journalists
Amy Holmes and
Roland Martin in a discussion over the controversies surrounding blackface.
The same day, ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' reported that Kelly had left the
Creative Artists Agency
Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 emplo ...
, and had hired an attorney. The week's remaining episodes were replaced by encores.
Cancellation
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.
Viewership of ''Megyn Kelly Today'' had been stable, but not as high as that of ''Today's Take''.
On October 26, 2018, NBC officially announced that ''Megyn 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.
Kelly terminated her contract with NBC in January 2019.
Since the program's cancellation, the ''Megyn Kelly Today'' set has been used for various NBC specials and productions, including occasional audience-based episodes of ''
Today with Hoda & Jenna
''Today with Hoda & Jenna '' (also known as the fourth hour of ''Today'' or simply ''Hoda & Jenna'') is an American daytime television talk show on NBC, hosted by Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. The program airs as the fourth hour of NBC's ''Toda ...
'' and ''
All In with Chris Hayes
''All In with Chris Hayes'' is an American news television program that airs weekdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on MSNBC. It is hosted by Chris Hayes, who previously hosted ''Up with Chris Hayes'' on MSNBC weekends. The show premiered on April 1, 2013. ...
'' (
MSNBC
MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and political ...
), and as an interim studio for ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' from July 13, 2020 to March 22, 2021.
References
{{reflist
NBC original programming
2010s American television talk shows
2017 American television series debuts
2018 American television series endings
English-language television shows
Megyn Kelly
Race-related controversies in television
Today (American TV program)
Television controversies in the United States