A MAJOR COMEBACK
The TV journalist has become her former network’s most vocal critic — and she doesn’t plan to quiet down any time soon
Megyn Kelly exclusively opens up to Us about NBC, Matt Lauer and her return to TV.
When Megyn Kelly returned to television screens for the first time in almost 12 months on Fox News’
Tucker Carlson Tonight on Oct. 16, ironically on the airwaves of the network she left for NBC, the firebrand anchor galvanized over 4 million Americans.
In her trademark tone and tenor, the journalist spoke her mind — and delivered fans her candid insight into the most explosive sex scandal that has engulfed television in decades.
No matter what, mom-of-three Kelly stands up for what she believes, and right now, that means taking aim at NBC for the way, she believes, they botched their investigation of disgraced Today host Matt Lauer, who has been accused of unfathomable things while presiding over the morning television mantle.
LONG TIME COMING
Ever since the details of Lauer’s alleged rape of NBC employee Brooke Nevils came to light in mid-October via Ronan Farrow’s book Catch and Kill, along with allegations of a cover-up at the network — particularly on the part of NBC News president Noah Oppenheim and NBC News and MSNBC chairman Andy Lack — Kelly hasn’t been shy about taking her former employer to task.
“Comcast, which owns NBC Universal, is a $200 billion company,” Kelly tells Us in an exclusive interview. “There is zero reason why with those resources, and if NBC truly has nothing to hide, it should not hire an outside investigator to look into the allegations that NBC executives have facilitated and covered up a culture of sexual harassment and abuse.” (Lauer and reps for NBC respectively dispute these claims, and Oppenheim went on the attack in a memo to NBC staff.)
Kelly tells Us she’s adamant about an independent investigation because of the sheer volume of
allegations:
“These claims have been made not just by Ronan Farrow and NBC producer Rich McHugh, but also by former NBC journalists Ann Curry and Linda Vester, rape survivor Sil Lai Abrams and others.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant — which is why firms like CBS,
Fox News, NPR and the NFL hired outside investigators to look into similar claims.”
Accountability and justice are topics near and dear to the journalist’s heart, especially now. “I feel very strongly about #MeToo coverage, the importance of doing it without fear or favor,” Kelly told Us in a 2018 interview shortly after the initial allegations against Lauer broke. “I didn’t let anyone stop me
at Fox, and I’m not going to let anyone stop me at NBC.”
SET UP FOR FAILURE?
That wasn’t for lack of trying on NBC’s part, a source tells Us. “There was definitely a belief that Andy Lack was waiting for Megyn to say anything controversial [so] the network [could] leave her out to dry.” The reason? “Megyn knew execs weren’t happy with her reporting on the Addie Zinone story.” Zinone, a former production assistant at Today, admitted to a consensual relationship with Lauer but has said she felt like a “victim” because of the power imbalance between them — an all too familiar story in this era.
Says a source who still works at the Peacock network: “They were nervous Megyn would push things further, continuing to call out NBC for not doing enough.”
The insider adds that “there’s a group of staffers who want Megyn to go public with the behind-thescenes drama because it could result in Andy Lack being fired,” though that seems unlikely, as Kelly signed an NDA when she left NBC, according to another informant, and walked away with a reported $30 million payout.
In fact, another source says, “Word is there could still be more to come out about Matt and his behavior. Some of the people who no longer work there have been
swapping messages about other things they saw or heard. The feeling is that the situation will get worse before it gets better.”
HER LATEST CRUSADE
So does Kelly know too much? On Oct. 4 last year, she provocatively told Us when asked if she thought Lauer, the disgraced journalist, could ever make a comeback: “I know too much that others don’t know.” (Others, like Gretchen Carlson and Savannah Guthrie, may also be sitting on explosive claims.)
If NBC is worried about a Megyn Kelly problem, they might have reason to be. Though she lay relatively low after her short tenure on Megyn
Kelly Today, the rape allegation against Lauer coincided with the expiration of her noncompete agreement — and she saw it as a perfect entree back into the mainstream conversation.
A second source tells Us that Megyn has NBC in a corner when it comes to commenting on Matt Lauer: “They’re not going to go after her for talking about a man accused of rape — and she has a lot to say on the subject.”
As a journalist, she hopes to say even more via a new show (see right). “There’s never been a better time. There’s never been a safer time,” she told Us in 2018. “Back when I had my situation with my boss at Fox, going to the media was not even a thought, and I was in media. No one would have considered that.” Unbelievably, Kelly is grateful for her former bosses at NBC. “It’s hard to hold a grudge,” the second source tells
Us. “She won! She now has the freedom to do whatever she wants. She feels like she should be thanking them. Megyn is now the total boss lady.” And more than that, she’s managed to change some minds at her former network. “You’d be surprised how many people at
NBC once disliked her and now see her side of the story,” says the first source. “Especially women. What happened with Matt has woken everyone up. People have totally changed their minds about Megyn. This is a rebirth of a woman who’s intelligent and a passionate fighter for so many causes.”
THERE IS A PLAYBOOK FOR HOW A COMPANY GETS TO THE TRUTH — INVESTIGATING ONESELF IS NOT IT.”
MEGYN KELLY TELLS US