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Megyn Kelly will not return to her 9-hour NBC show, the network said on Friday as the besieged host is still negotiating a possible NBC outing.
Noah Oppenheim, president of NBC News, announced the news to the team at "Megyn Kelly Today" shortly before the official announcement of the end of the show.
"Next week, 9 am will be moderated by other co-presenters today," a spokeswoman for NBC News said in a statement.
The cancellation comes three days after Ms. Kelly suggested on the radio that it was not inappropriate for whites to dress in blackface at Halloween. An online outcry broke out after his remarks and NBC News covered his live statements and their impact on "NBC Nightly News" and his morning franchise, the "Today" show.
Ms. Kelly's status with NBC is now under intense discussion between her attorney, Los Angeles litigator Bryan Freedman, and network executives.
"Megyn remains an employee of NBC News and discussions on the next steps are continuing," Freedman said in a statement on Friday.
Kelly signed a $ 69 million, three-year contract. A negotiated start could include a substantial gain.
Ms. Kelly joined NBC News in 2017 after 12 years on Fox News, where she did big audiences as a presenter in prime time. In her new home, she ran into colleagues and management, while getting mediocre ratings for her morning show.
Tuesday's inflammatory remarks were part of a roundtable discussion on the "The costume police is rampant" on Halloween costumes, as she has said.
"What's racist?" Asked Ms. Kelly. "You have problems if you are a white person who puts a blackface on Halloween, or a black person who uses a whiteface for Halloween. When I was a child, it was O.K., provided you disguised yourself as a character. "
She then cited the example of Luann de Lesseps, a cast member of the Bravo reality show "The Real Housewives of New York," which was fired. this year to dress up in Diana Ross, with a disproportionate afro wig. Kelly added that she found critics of the star of "Housewives" puzzled.
Several hours after the broadcast, Ms. Kelly sent an apology email to NBC staff members.
"I realize now that such behavior is really wrong and I'm sorry," she wrote. "The history of blackface in our culture is abominable; the wounds are too deep. I have never been a PC person, but I understand that we need to be more sensitive nowadays. "
She continued, "Particularly on issues of race and ethnicity that, far from being cured, have been exacerbated in our policy over the past year. It's a time for understanding, love, sensitivity and honor, and I want to be part of it. "
The e-mail was not enough to appease his companions today, Al Roker and Craig Melvin, who denounced his remarks on blackface suits in the early hours of Wednesday morning broadcast.
At 9 o'clock that morning, Ms. Kelly went on the air with an uncertain future for the network. She looked into the camera and apologized for a long time. The studio audience gave him a standing ovation.
At a staff meeting Wednesday at noon, Andrew Lack, chairman of NBC News, told employees that he was condemning her and that she was not praising her attempts to apologize.
On Wednesday night, Ms. Kelly was separated from her agents at the Creative Artists Agency. But she could not find another representative when United Talent Agency refused to take her as a client. Mr. Freedman, the litigator, is currently conducting the negotiations.
Repeats of "Megyn Kelly Today" aired Thursday and Friday instead of live broadcasts. At the end of Wednesday's episode – which turned out to be the finale of the series – Ms. Kelly made a happy, though unintentional, farewell.
"Have a good day, everyone!" She said with a smile. "See you tomorrow!"
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