Social 'Megyn Kelly Today' Canceled By NBC After Defending Blackface with Diana Ross Halloween Costume

[Arkain2K]

Megyn Kelly apologizes for defending wearing blackface for Halloween and saying it's OK if you're 'dressing up like a character'
Kelly McLaughlin | Oct. 23, 2018



Megyn Kelly on Tuesday apologized after a deluge of criticism came when she defended wearing blackface for Halloween on her talk show Tuesday morning.

While speaking to Melissa Rivers, Jenna Bush Hager, and guest host Jacob Soboroff on "Megyn Kelly Today," Kelly asked why wearing blackface was racist.

"But what is racist? You truly do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface at Halloween or a black person who puts on white face for Halloween," she asked her panel. "That was OK when I was a kid, as long as you were dressing like a character."

People were quick to criticize Kelly on social media, posting clips of the comments and calling the NBC host a racist.

The discussion was part of a segment on Kelly's show in which the panel was talking about universities cracking down on inappropriate and offensive costumes.

In the clip, Kelly referenced "Real Housewives of New York"'s Luann de Lesseps, who darkened her skin to dress as Diana Ross for Halloween last year.

After an episode showing the costume aired in April, de Lesseps apologized, saying she didn't mean to offend anyone.

Kelly questioned why people were offended by de Lessep's costume.

"I don't see how that is racist on Halloween," she said. "Who doesn't love Diana Ross?"

People took to Twitter to criticize Kelly's statements.

Kelly's cohosts were less supportive of the costume, however.

"I haven't seen it, but it sounds pretty racist to me," Soboroff said, with Bush Hager adding: "Me too."

Kelly later apologized for her comments in an internal email seen by The Hollywood Reporter.

She recounted the segment in her email, saying she "suggested that this seemed okay if done as part of this holiday where people have the chance to make themselves look like others."

"I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry," she wrote. "The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent; the wounds too deep."

She went on to say that people have to be "more sensitive in this day and age," noting she has never been a "'pc' kind of person."

https://www.businessinsider.com/megyn-kelly-defends-wearing-blackface-for-halloween-2018-10









'Megyn Kelly Today' Canceled Following Blackface Controversy
Antoinette Bueno‍ | October 25, 2018

Megyn Kelly Today has been canceled, according to multiple reports.

The 47-year-old journalist's NBC talk show is reportedly over after she was widely criticized on Tuesday for defending using blackface in Halloween costumes. Despite her tearful on-air apology on Wednesday, a source with knowledge of the situation at NBC tells ET it looks very likely the show will not be continuing, though an official decision has not been made. Kelly's future at NBC is still up in the air, the source adds.

A second source tells ET that the network spent much of Thursday morning reaching out to staff on Kelly’s show and letting them know that they are being reassigned within different divisions of the network, with most of the staff being reassigned within the Today show. The source says the staff has not been told that the show is canceled yet.

In addition, a third source tells ET, “The staff is definitely in a bad place in that they are being kept in the dark and feel like there is no sense of leadership.”

A rep for NBC could not be reached for comment.

People reports that Megyn Kelly Today has indeed been canceled.

“They haven’t made an official announcement about the show, but everyone knows what it means when they’re being moved somewhere else," a source tells the outlet. "The show is clearly over.”

While People reports that Kelly hasn't been fired completely from NBC, The Daily Mailand Page Six both report that Kelly will no longer appear on the network.

Kelly announced she was leaving Fox News for NBC last January, and ET confirmed that Kelly signed a multi-year agreement with the network that included her hosting her own daytime news program, anchoring a Sunday evening news show and taking part in special political programming and other breaking news coverage. At the time, Andrew Lack, Chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, said in a statement, "Megyn is an exceptional journalist and news anchor, who has had an extraordinary career. She's demonstrated tremendous skill and poise, and we're lucky to have her."

Sources told ET last January that Kelly's decision to leave Fox News after 12 years was one based on her wanting to spend more time with her family as opposed to her salary.

"Everyone is, and was, putting so much emphasis on the money aspect ... But no one was listening to what she was hinting at the entire time -- which was that she wanted a schedule that would give her more time with her kids and allow her time to focus on specials," the source said. "It's more important for Megyn to see her kids off to school and be home for dinner with her husband -- who has done a great job of being Mr. Mom for most of 2016, something she credits him for often."

However, Kelly's first week hosting Megyn Kelly Today wasn't exactly smooth sailing. The program's bumpy start last September included an awkward interview with Jane Fonda in which Fonda criticized her for bringing up her plastic surgery, Debra Messing declaring that she regretted going on the show and a cameraman cursing after he accidentally walked into frame.

"It's been very exciting. It's been educational," Kelly told viewers at the end of the first week. "I’ve just been delighted at the media response, which is really -- no. The viewer response has been awesome, and I am so grateful to have all of you giving us a chance."

Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie defended Kelly last September during her appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, commenting, "I think she's got the eyes of the world upon her, and I think everybody can relate to how nerve-racking that is.

"We're thrilled to have her," Guthrie continued. "She's doing a lot, she's doing a lot of different things. She has a lot of range. I think she's awesome."

But a source told ET on Thursday that Kelly's talk show has been chaotic and dysfunctional behind the scenes since the show’s premiere in September 2017, and that three producers were reassigned after going to the network’s management this past summer “to demand to be taken off of the show because of all the chaos and bullsh**.”

“I’ve felt the show was coming to an end in December no matter what," the source says. "It was clear that it was not working and there is a lot of dysfunction.”

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/apos-megyn-kelly-today-apos-174821484.html

What do you say, Sherdog? Is Megyn Kelly a racist or what she said was simply non-PC common sense?

 

[Bloody Pulp]

 

[HereticBD]

 

[Trotsky]

She's a shitty journalist who was a joke at Fox News, yet somehow rejuvenated her career and became semi-legitimate just because Donald Trump made sexist insults toward her. Not much is being lost.

But can you cite to the actual comments re blackface? I'm not going to preemptively defend her, but this is a topic on which white folks can be legitimately and justifiably ignorant and get egg on their face without necessarily being malicious about it.

She rocked that short-hair serious-professional-woman look pretty well, tho.

 

[TrueBias]

I saw the vid and i....dont understand why people choose to be offended by shit.

 

[58miles]

 

[MTT]

Her capitulation to lunacy while tearfully apologizing for nothing is comical.

 

[Morning Star]

 

[Jesus H. Sherdog]

I don't care about the show being cancelled, nor do I watch these kinds of shows, but won't they get pretty boring when only one opinion is allowed to be expressed?

 

[Seano]

This shit is getting out of hand.

 

[Cubo de Sangre]

More people should wear blackface for Halloween. We can't support these double standards.

 

[Gregolian]

 

[44nutman]

It was an excuse to get rid of her. If she had high ratings, she could come out with blackface and they just would have suspended her.

This is not something nefarious, it is just NBC wanted to dump her ass, and she gave them an excuse.

Hopefully she is reduced to having to do porn.

 

[DIDM]

She's a shitty journalist who was a joke at Fox News, yet somehow rejuvenated her career and became semi-legitimate just because Donald Trump made sexist insults toward her. Not much is being lost.

But can you cite to the actual comments re blackface? I'm not going to preemptively defend her, but this is a topic on which white folks can be legitimately and justifiably ignorant and get egg on their face without necessarily being malicious about it.



She rocked that short-hair serious-professional-woman look pretty well, tho.

She said when she was young it wasn’t a big deal to do black face or white face

It’s literally the dumbest shit ever, they were waiting for a reason to fire her, because her comments were literally nothingburgers

 

[leto1776]

They’re just using this situation as an excuse to fire her. The real reason is ratings.

She was never gonna fit in at NBC anyway. She was still an enemy to them, having worked at Fox.

 

[THEfightsAREfixed]

don't care

 

[Whippy McGee]

They now get to pay her $69 MILLION, which is the remainder of her contract.

Her sin was not being 100% lockstep leftist. There is no allowance for someone that is only 74% Leftist on NBC.

That whole network has been attacking her, including her own staff, since she started. I guess if someone offers you over $20 million a year, you will put up with a ton of bullshit.

 

[58miles]

They now get to pay her $69 MILLION, which is the remainder of her contract.

Her sin was not being 100% lockstep leftist. There is no allowance for someone that is only 74% Leftist on NBC.

That whole network has been attacking her, including her own staff, since she started. I guess if someone offers you over $20 million a year, you will put up with a ton of bullshit.

She was being attacked at NBC because they were upset about a no talent FoxNews Bimbo making that kind of money and having that kind of prominence.

 

[Madmick]

Nothing to add to the OP, @Arkain2K? Give us something.

You aren't allowed to have a controversial opinion, in absence of malice, surrounding any hot button African/American issue of sensitivity, if you are white. I didn't watch her show, and don't care about her, but the double standard for intolerable racism in this country has become a pitchfork-driven disgrace.

 

[jeffk]

I only saw a short news story on This and what I saw was she made a foolish remark out of ignorance. She apologized soon after.

It did not sound like she had any intent to be hateful or support hatred towards blacks or intended to mock blacks or support those who want to mock blacks.

There really should a difference between saying something foolish out of ignorance and hateful malice.

Probably was just an excuse to fire her for low ratings and try to look good in the process.