Five tips after five wobbly shows for NBC’s Megyn Kelly
Transition from cable requires her to control her tone — while accepting today’s political tumult
During her first week as a morning TV host, a job she believes she was born to do, Megyn Kelly’s new show was trapped in an incubator.
This is not unusual. All talk shows need time to develop. But after becoming a breakout media star during the U.S. election and then bolting from Fox News to join NBC earlier this year, Kelly does not have a newcomer’s luxury of time.
She must deliver ratings and buzz before her increasingly wary overlords tire of the scathing reviews and conclude this $18-million experiment is doomed.
So what’s the problem with Megyn Kelly Today? And more important, can it be fixed?
In the interest of constructive criticism — and after watching the first five shows — here are five suggestions: 1. Embrace The Chaos Early on Day 1, Kelly said, “I’m kind of done with politics for now.”
Huge mistake. While The Trump Show is bad for humanity, it is great for ratings. To ignore the swirling dysfunction in Washington is to plant a big, fat kiss on irrelevance. Just ask Jimmy Fallon.
Kelly wants to spread “joy.” But all she’s doing is spreading treacle. NBC hired a cauldron of lava that is now a tumbler of sludge.
Terrified of offending anyone, Kelly is intriguing to no one.
Much like the police dog she featured last week, she needs to start poking her snout under the political seat cushions to sniff out the talking points that will actually get people talking. Hint: it’s not chronic fatigue syndrome. 2. Curb the Gesticulating Is Kelly translating her words into American Sign Language? Is she conducting Brahms’ Symphony No. 4 in E minor? During her first week, whether she was analyzing photos of Prince Harry or blathering on with soccer star Carli Lloyd, Kelly’s arms flailed wildly, like she had just fallen off a cliff. Her air-quotes were demonic. Her fingers opened and closed like switchblades. Her elbows danced the Funky Chicken. If someone had snapped wings onto her shoulder blades, she would have crashed into the studio rafters before the first commercial break. Calm the hell down, Megyn Kelly! Morning viewers sipping coffee in a groggy state do not want to keep flinching because it looks like you’re about to reach through the screen and slap them upside the head. 3. Understand the New Rules of Engagement On Fox, Kelly was confrontational. But at 9 a.m. on NBC, those instincts don’t work when you’re interviewing celebrities chauffeured in to promote upcoming projects. On Day 3, during a lame interview with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, Kelly suddenly asked the actress why she didn’t like talking about her cosmetic surgery. Fonda’s face froze like it had just taken an overdose shot of Botox. She glared at Kelly with icy contempt and hissed, “We really want to talk about that now?” The awkward exchange seemed to throw off Kelly, who sat there like a sixth grader in detention. The key to a good celebrity interview is to get the person to open up, not shut down. Unlike on Fox News, where hosts no doubt receive a cash bonus whenever a guest is hectored or shamed, gotcha questions don’t play well in between segments on the dangers of lemons in your water and ads for Posturepedic mattresses. 4. Add Some Regular Contributors The reason morning shows tend to have co-hosts is because, as a species, we need more than one person to have a conversation. Kelly needs a sidekick. She needs a sparring partner. She needs a wingman. She needs a producer who can become a background character, much as Michael Gelman is to Live with Kelly and Ryan, one of her new competitors. During her first week, the only other staffer to get some ink was an unnamed cameraman who accidentally wandered into a shot and then yelled “s--t!” on live TV, a word that was likely screamed in private earlier in the morning when NBC execs glanced at the overnight ratings. Kelly is all alone, debating with her crazy arms and feeding off a studio audience that is far too comatose to drive the dialogue during hasty Q&A segments that have a cable-access feel. She needs an on-air team to lift her up. 5. Beware The Tone And Cable-News Oversell On Friday’s show, after the father and sister of murdered Ron Goldman spoke solemnly about the prison release of O.J. Simpson, Kelly ended robotically with, “Coming up, on a lighter note, they almost never sit for joint interviews, but here they are: the women of Saturday Night Live!” Her giddiness seemed a bit insensitive. As did her wardrobe, a hot pink blouse and black-and-white striped skirt that made her look like a zebra who tumbled headfirst into a vat of cotton candy. She also sounded cold when she teased an interview with murderer Lyle Menendez and told her audience: “I asked him specifically if he made eye contact with his parents in the moments before (shooting them).” Spoiler alert: he didn’t. Torquing an upcoming segment is common in cable news. Just watch Wolf Blitzer. But on morning TV, any oversell that is either transitionally tone deaf or proves to be false is a sure way to lose viewers. It’s not too late for Kelly to turn this around. But she’ll have to start by taking a long, hard look at herself. vmenon@thestar.ca