Kelly’s news show doomed from the start
Prime 9 a.m. slot bad fit for former Fox News anchor
Finally. It looks like NBC brass has pulled the plug on Megyn Kelly’s ill-fated morning TV show. Right out of the gate — long before her explosive “blackface” remarks — the former Fox News anchor’s daytime gig was a disaster. Network morning TV personalities tend to be upbeat and fun — think Kathie Lee and Hoda as well as Katie Couric when she was on “Today” — the opposite of the fire and brimstone conservative cable outlet where Kelly became a star. Kelly’s hard-nose news approach wasn’t a good fit for viewers still enjoying their morning coffee, and at times she was cringe-worthy to watch. Like when she asked Jane Fonda about plastic surgery. And Kelly’s coveted 9 a.m. “Today” show slot should have been axed long before she defended blackface Halloween costumes during a roundtable talk on Tuesday’s show. “But what is racist?” Kelly asked. “You do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid, that was OK as long as you were dressing up as a character.” Kelly later delivered a tearful and lengthy TV mea culpa, but not before her remarks sparked a furor on social media and angered her co-workers, including Al Roker. “While she apologized to the staff, she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country,” Roker said on the air. “This is a history going back to the 1830s minstrel shows — to demean and denigrate a race wasn’t right.” Kelly has been down this road before. Her defense of blackface costumes wasn’t the first time she’d made racially crude remarks. During her run at Fox News, Kelly said, “By the way for all you kids watching at home, Santa just is white.” While at Fox, Kelly made a big name for herself taking on Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich but she also endured sexual harassment by her then-boss, the late Roger Ailes. Kelly reportedly turned down a $20 million-a-year offer to stay there. Kelly, Vanity Fair reported, now wants to go back to Fox. I’m not sure that’s the best move. But CNN once tried wooing her. Maybe she should give them a call.