Question: What’s that terrible, awful, odious stench? Answer: It’s FOX News. And it’s all over Megyn Kelly.
In case you haven’t heard, Kelly’s new NBC morning show, which premiered last week, has been a complete and utter disaster. And insiders say the network is totally freaking out about it.
Kelly’s first week was plagued with all sorts of gaffes and awkward moments. When she wasn’t asking Will & Grace fans if the show is what “turned them gay,” then she was insulting Jane Fonda by asking the Hollywood legend why she’s “not proud to admit” that she’s had plastic surgery.
Oh, then there was that little incident on Friday’s episode when a cameraman accidentally stepped in front of Kelly’s interview with soccer star Carli Lloyd and said “shit!” on the air.
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Related: Jane Fonda is all of us as she makes this face at Megyn Kelly
All the while, ratings were tanking. Kelly lost around half a million viewers within the first four episodes. She also managed to garner quite a bit of bad press along the way.
The New York Times called the show “awkward” and “just not enjoyable.” The Los Angeles Times said it was “rocky,” “rough,” and said the chilly reception should be “a worrying sign for a network.”
And let’s not forget The Washington Post, which called Kelly “nervous” and “awkward” and compared watching the show to “watching a network try to assemble its own Bride of Frankenstein, using parts of Ellen DeGeneres, Kelly Ripa and whatever else it can find.”
“It’s like an implosion,” an NBC insider tells Vanity Fair. “Everyone is surprised at how quickly it’s gone badly. People are just like, ‘oh my god.'”
“It’s like watching a slow-motion train wreck,” another insider adds.
Related: WATCH: Megyn Kelly crew member wanders into frame, curses. It’s a first week f-up hat trick!
But don’t expect the network to abandon its failing star anytime soon. A third insider says that even though the show is a clear disaster, Kelly has “built up some genuine good will in the building,” and so the chances of her being released from her contract early aren’t likely. At least not yet.
It should also be noted, NBC paid Kelly $17 million to join their team earlier this year. For that kind of money, they’re not going to abandon ship without trying anything and everything to bail it out first.
But for the rest of the world–those who don’t have $17 million on the line–the writing on the wall couldn’t be clearer:
NBC execs assuming Megyn Kelly appeals to a mainstream daytime audience reminds me of how the media always forgets Clinton got more votes.
— Molly (@isteintraum) September 29, 2017
Megyn Kelly is gonna lose her job at NBC and it's gonna be hilarious.
— God (@TheGoodGodAbove) September 28, 2017
Remember when @megynkelly interviewed Alex Jones and spread his evil to a wider audience? There's no coming back from that.#LRT #MegynTODAY
— Kimberly A. Woodard (@BeingKimmieToo) October 2, 2017
Megyn Kelly ran into the arms of leftists thinking they'd embrace her. Elementary mistake. https://t.co/OJCMwP1cuP
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) September 28, 2017
I suspect Megyn Kelly is learning that success on Fox News doesn’t easily parlay into mainstream success.
— roxane gay (@rgay) September 27, 2017
whatsaywhat
Yeah about all those years of fear-mongering, race-baiting, and spreading of false misinformation… You can forget about all that. It never happened. In “alternative facts” land, Megan is little miss sunshine & America’s sweetheart. Anyone who says otherwise is just fake news.
mhoffman953
@whatsaywhat
People on the right hate Megyn Kelly too. You can see that from Queerty quoting right wing columnist / Youtuber Paul Joseph Watson above (who received more retweets and likes than any of the other people quoted)
gayjim1969
@mhoffman953
The right hates Megyn Kelly only because she stopped goose-stepping to Fox News’s demands and didn’t stay quiet about the behind-the-scenes scandals. She dared to break ranks, and they labeled her a traitor–no other reason.
whatsaywhat
She could win over what conservative blowhards call “the left” (which includes anyone with a rational, questioning mind who doesn’t wholly subscribe the GOP/Fox News line). All she would have to do is stay in journalism and start ball-busting the crusty old dinosaurs that Fox News regularly trumpets and indulges. She started doing it (well) with Trump and others & could have taken that skill to NBC. But Megan pretending to be “nice” on morning television? It’s as phony as when Rosie O’Donnell pretended to be nice (& have a big heterosexual crush on Tom Cruise). Not buyin it
Me2
But NBC already has Samantha Guthrie, who does all the things you suggested Megyn should do and does them a million times better! In addition to actually being nice. NBC thought that they could neutralize Megyn and use her to bring over some of the FOX News audience. It was a dumb move and never should’ve happened. If they really just wanted to bring her on, a better strategy would’ve been to put her in hard hitting journalism and present her as somewhat of a moderate and leave out the phony fluff.
Terrycloth
I tried to like her show .its as interesting as burnt toast…she has no edit button on her mouth .says whatever she thinks and thinks it’s ok….why she starting to sound just like a former game show host who lives in the Whitehouse . Pull the plug on her show or put her on in the wee hours of the morning….17 million. No wonder Matt Lauer is mad
DCguy
So they took somebody who had made her mark by being a confrontational interviewer and said “Golly, lets put her in a touchy feely morning hour on an already successful show, and have her talk about how she’s not going to be talking about any politics.”
It’s like owning a baseball team and hiring a person who is known for being a soccer player. OF course she’s awekward with the morning show. And additionally, she spent a LOT of time on Fox towing their line, yelling that santa and Jesus were white, talking about how lgbt rights were interfering with Christian rights etc…
Both of those together made her a bad investment for NBC. But for some reason Andy Lack decided that they needed to become FOX Lite, and Gretta already failed, Kelly will be next.
dean089
Yep, this disaster says a lot more about decision makers at NBC than it does about Megyn Kelly.
mhoffman953
@dean089
All of the failures get shipped to NBC
DCguy
@mhoffman953
If you are going to be an anti-lgbt right wing troll who only exists to shill for the GOP and FOX, try not to make it so obvious. Kelly was one of the highest rated people on FOX and they offered her over 10 million dollars to stay.
Not sure why you even bother lying on here, you and all of your other screenames aren’t even very good at it.
bivanchan
Ugh… I work from home and have watched the today show for a long time. I hate the new 90’s talk show rip-off train wreck that is Megyn Kelly.
Xzamilloh
Look, MSM is out of touch, period. Even the crap they try to gear towards the social justice groups always fails because they miscalculate the impact and the reach of social justice. Fox News hosts have no personality outside for their teavangelical bubble, and social justice sucks in TV format Just entertain and stop trying to be everything to everyone.
whatsaywhat
“Look, MSM is out of touch, period.”
This sentence is a Trumpian sh*t-sandwich ;P
Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ default sentence starter, “Look” (bottom slice)
Fox News’ favorite cliché “MSM is out of touch” (the shit)
Sean Spicer’s conversation-ender “Period.” (top slice)
mooney341
She’s terrible the show is tanking and all. Horrible and too political. Oh by the word in the story is “garner” not “Gardner”
Kieran
Who can ever forget how Fox News used Megan to take out Trump early in the first GOP debate? She had that shiv ready and she clearly went in for the kill:
https://youtu.be/1Y9_LJj7A68
Steven
Some bridges can’t be rebuilt after they’ve been burned. She’s stepped on too many toes to get where she’s at and that has come back to haunt her.
Karma’s a bitch Megyn Kelly.
AJAnders
This was never a woman who could handle hosting a fun, laid back talk show with laughs and interviews with beloved celebs. She was only good at preaching the propaganda that is Fox News. How could anyone take her seriously after the things she’s said over the years? Whether it’s poo-pooing Black Lives Matter or angrily telling America that Santa Clause is white, white, white! Or giving up her dignity to defend Donald Trump even after he said disgusting remarks about her.
You can try to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic all you want but at the end of the night, that ship is still going down.
Kangol
She’s steadily failing upwards, so I guess the US Senate or the Presidency is next.
RIGay
But really? You invite a Trumpette into your home and you expect… what?
You get what you paid for. She’s a Trumpette to the bone, just gussied up to look somewhat presentable.
In essence. Permanently damaged goods that should be relegated to cable news.
OzJosh
There seems to be a pattern forming here… All those right-wing Fox nutters eventually implode like a vampire in the sun.
Phrancque
This is like when an anti-gay politician who has made it his mission to pass discriminatory LGBT laws gets caught blowing a guy in a public restroom, is forced to come out of the closet, and then whines that ‘the gays’ didn’t welcome him with open arms.
jpcflyer
In case you have been living under a rock or have forgotten what a **** Megyn Kelly has always been and will always be, check out John Oliver episode 24 from Sept 24. No one should be surprised.
seaguy
Thanks God NBC was not so stupid that they cancelled Day’s of Our Lives to make room for Megan Kelly, and instead gave her an hour or the already too long Today show.
jsmu
Kelly’s a bitch–but KARMA’s a bigger one!
BlokeToys
Who could have predicted that spending years of your career on a propaganda network, spreading hate, fear and ignorance to the worst of America, would result in people holding you accountable and thinking you’re a disgusting Human?
Keebler ILF
Megyn Kelly reminds me of that evil, blonde, female Cylon (from Battlestar Galactica) who was designed to mimic the human body and human emotions. I like the evil Cylon more.
batesmotel
Conservatives don’t like her, because they think she’s too liberal with her questions. Liberals don’t like her because she used to work at Fox. You just can’t win.