NBC leaves no mercy to Megyn Kelly for Blackface's comments

Tuesday's controversy has made national news and fueled disappointment and resentment within NBC, according to multiple sources on the network.

Kelly began her show Wednesday by apologizing for comments made the day before. His audience gave him a standing ovation, but the disappointment inside NBC News is deep and will not fade anytime soon.

NBC News President Andy Lack condemned his racist remarks in a public session with staff on Wednesday morning. (The meeting was scheduled well before the controversy.)

Lack led Kelly's hiring and defended his 9-hour show. But this week, his press service covered the Kelly controversy over several programs. Instead of promoting the "Today" show as a happy family, NBC relayed the family's fight – leaving time for Al Roker and others who strongly criticized Kelly's comments. .

Tuesday's talk at the blackface – with a panel of all-white guests – was a major misstep. But the rancor Kelly concerns more than one segment.

On Wednesday night, The New York Times reported that Kelly and Lack "have discussed the possibility of ending his part of the show" Today "by the end of the year", which which means that the conversations preceded the controversy this week.

Kelly has many critics and rivals within the famous news division – people who say she should never have been hired at Fox News, certainly not for such a high salary, nor for a morning show such as "Megyn Kelly Today".

Members of this NBC staff regularly call Kelly's show a "disaster" and other derogatory terms.

Most of the anger does not target her exactly, but the direction of NBC News – the men who hired her at Fox in January 2017.

"We are lucky to have it," Lack said the day his new contract was announced.

At the time, other television officials have accepted. After all, there had been a bidding war for Kelly when it became apparent that she wanted to leave Fox.

Lack has described her as "Outstanding Reporter and News Presenter".

But Kelly was best known for her fiery segments in Fox's extremely conservative schedule. There was widespread concern that she was doing a bad show at NBC.

The channel announced that it would have two main jobs: a 9-hour talk show and a Sunday night news magazine. His reported salary of $ 23 million a year for three years, for a total of $ 69 million, has become a bit of a scandal within NBC, even before going on air.

Kelly's morning show was premiered in September 2017. Television critics have found much to criticize. And Kelly had some early difficulties, such as an awkward exchange with Jane Fonda who made the headlines long after.

Some controversy sparked curiosity about her new series, but it mostly caused embarrassment and sneer about the time she spent at NBC. Most importantly, the 9-hour show did not meet expectations.

As the Wall Street Journal had titled earlier this year, "NBC bets $ 69 million on Megyn Kelly – then the viewers disappear."

Kelly's rivals noted that the first hour of 9 hours was more profitable when Roker and Tamron Hall were the hosts. This is partly because they were much less paid.

Some people in the television industry said that Kelly had received bad career advice. Others said that NBC was unrealistic about the expectations of its broadcast. And others said that Kelly's talent was not easily transferable from Fox to other networks.

NBC introduced Kelly's Sunday magazine, but the program did not last long. As expected, he suffered in the ratings compared to his longtime competitors like "60 Minutes", and he was hampered by scheduling issues.

On the air, Kelly's morning show has won some success – his show has been full of fascinating conversations and frank interviews. But there is still a ranking behind. And the Blackface controversy reinforces the perception – from the general public – that Kelly is a Fox News personality, not a family member of the "Today" show.

On Tuesday, Kelly said that everything was fine when she grew up so that whites could dress up as black characters. She spoke out against a controversy that erupted last year about a reality TV star, Diana Ross.

"But what is racist?" Kelly asked. "Because you are in trouble if you are a white man who puts on a Halloween hangover or a black man who makes a white mouth on Halloween. When I was a kid, it was a nightmare. was OK, as long as you disguise yourself as a character. "

A little later in the day, Kelly apologized to her colleagues in an e-mail: "This is one of those days when listening carefully to other points of view, including from friends and colleagues , leads me to rethink my own point of view.

Tuesday night, "NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt" covered the story of Kelly, while few networks have paid much attention. Roker, Melvin and other members of the cast of "Today" have had a remarkably frank conversation about the controversy on Wednesday at 7 am.

The situation bears witness to the lingering malaise and turmoil within NBC News over Kelly, whose early morning rental and installation of the network was controversial.

Roker said "she owes more apology to people of color across the country."

His direct remarks expressed a point of view shared by many people in the news agency.

"Today," his colleague Craig Melvin also called Kelly's comments to be "stupid" and "indefensible". He pointed out that this controversy is an opportunity to inform people – but said that most people already knew how offensive the blackface was.