Megyn Kelly Rightfully Out at NBC Over Blackface Comment

Christopher Molina, Staff Writer

Megyn Kelly is out at NBC thanks to her insensitive comments about blackface, a form of theatrical  makeup used by non-black performers to make them appear to be black, that often represents racial undertones and mockery. This had been customary in the past, but in no way should be tolerated in today’s time and especially in the future. What cannot be ignored, however, was how NBC treated this controversy.

Kelly had argued on a panel that wearing blackface on Halloween was acceptable when she was a kid as long as you were dressing as a character.

Those comments unleashed a the wave of controversy which would lead to a change of public opinion, but nearly half of the 2,201 adults questioned by the Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult felt NBC’s decision to cancel “Megyn Kelly Today” was “too harsh of a consequence.”

Acording to the poll, despite her comments made around wearing blackface for Halloween, 48 percent said her comments made “no difference either way.”  In fact, 29 percent of those surveyed said that NBC canceling her program gave them a “somewhat less favorable” or “much less favorable” view of the network. In spite of public opinion, and with 14 months left on her contract, Kelly and her legal team are currently working on exit negotiations, which could mean that NBC won’t be reconsidering.  This is probably not for the reasons you may think, however.

After leaving Fox News after claims of sexual harassment and the feeling of being in a “snake pit,” Kelly eventually got a job on NBC with her show “Megyn Kelly Today,” along with a three-year, $69 million contract.

From the start, ratings from her show weren’t improving. She averaged 2.4 million viewers per day, which was lower than her nightly viewership when she was with Fox News.

Switching from cable news to network television can be a challenging thing to do, especially with a change of personality. From her time on Fox News, Kelly was very strong and tough on her approach when it came to interviews, while with NBC she had to be very sweet, lovable and likable, which is expected from a morning show host.

With that transition came problems on her show, such as when the star of “Will and Grace,” Debra Messing, shared her regret of going on her show, an awkward interview with Jane Fonda and the blackface comments.

In regard to her show’s struggle to garner high ratings, Kelly told the Wall Street Journal in April that the show was just six months old and still in its infancy. She also talked about how she was still getting familiar with morning television and how the show would need a year or so to find its footing.

Whether or not it was the blackface comment that ended her career at NBC, it could have seemed that the network couldn’t wait to get her off the air. Seeming to get less than what they already paid for.