Catfights & Racist Controversy! A Look Back At Megyn Kelly’s ‘Today’ Show Hell
Oct. 25 2018, Updated 5:58 p.m. ET
Megyn Kelly is in the process of abruptly leaving NBC after receiving major backlash for defending blackface on her Tuesday, October 23 show. The talk show host said she did not find blackface to be racist on Halloween during an onscreen panel discussion. One day later, Kelly fought back tears as she admitted that she was “wrong.” But before the host began doing damage control this week, RadarOnline.com has uncovered the horrific year Kelly spent at NBC, after leaving FOX. Click through the gallery for a timeline of Kelly’s notorious NBC highs and lows.
Megyn joined NBC in 2017 on a $15 million per year contract. At the time, sources spilled to the National ENQUIRER that the former FOX news host quickly became known as the “Queen of Mean.”
Kelly brought her drama from FOX to NBC almost immediately! During her NBC debut, RadarOnline.com reported the controversial host dissed Hoda Kotb by ignoring her completely and only saying hello to Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie on air.
Then, just weeks into her new gig, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, insiders told RadarOnline.com NBC execs were “freaking out” over a “ratings disaster!” In her much-anticipated interview with Erin Andrews, Kelly’s show was destroyed by 60 Minutes.
The Sunday night ratings disaster led to Kelly’s appointment of morning show, Megyn Kelly Today, which would bump NBC colleagues Al Roker and Tamron Hall out of the 9 a.m. time slot. Ex host Matt Lauer was “livid” at the switch, sources claimed to RadarOnline.com.
The move also didn’t bode well with the rest of NBC’s leading ladies. Kelly quickly became known as a spotlight stealer. An on-set insider claimed Kelly became “so toxic everyone wants to stay away from the bad smell.”
In addition to her colleagues, viewers also were posing a problem for Kelly. In November 2017, NBC execs were scrambling to figure out how to fill her studio’s audience section.
Later, on the heels of Lauer’s shocking firing, Hotb and Kelly were at each other’s throats fighting for who would get the disgraced anchor’s coveted seat. Kotb and Kelly were “pretending to be friends” on-air, but “behind the scenes it’s a knife fight,” insiders claimed at the time.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, Kelly’s blackface comments weren’t her first misstep. The host got into a major feud with actress Jane Fonda on air after Fonda bashed Kelly for asking inappropriate questions about her plastic surgery on air.
NBC execs started losing trust in the former FOX contributor. A source told RadarOnline.com that Kelly was banned from covering the royal wedding!
If Kelly didn’t already have a clue, her Today colleagues made it known earlier this month that she was disliked. The entire Today “family” made its way to Broadway to see Roker make his big stage debut – and Kelly was the only network star left out of the trip, RadarOnline.com reported.
Plus, Roker had harsh words for his former colleague on Wednesday after her racist comments. The NBC weatherman said her apology was not good enough – and urged execs to fire her!
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Kelly did not return to work on Thursday morning. A repeat episode from August played in her absence during the time slot. An eyewitness at the studio on Thursday told RadarOnline.com that Kotb and Guthrie appeared “chatty” with one another. “Nobody seemed to miss Megyn!” the insider added.
Plus, more bad news for Kelly! Sources spilled to RadarOnline.com on Thursday that now that Kelly appears to be on her way out at Today, NBC execs are already in talks to replace her with Voice coach, Kelly Clarkson.
What do you think of Kelly’s horrific stint at NBC? Sound off in the comments!
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