By NICOLE LEMBO
Megyn Kelly, host of NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today,” has officially been fired from the network after making inappropriate comments on one of the show’s episodes. During an on-air panel discussion about controversial Halloween costumes, the topic of dressing in blackface was addressed. Kelly prefaced the segment by saying she was “fired up” about the topic, and that political correctness has “gone amuck.”
“What is racist?” Kelly said. “You do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid, that was okay just as long as you were dressing as a character.”
Many were outraged by Kelly’s insensitive remarks. In response to the controversy, the next day, Kelly began her show by apologizing to her viewers and colleagues. However, the damage had already been done.
“The fact is, while she apologized to the NBC staff, she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country,” her colleague Al Roker said during his segment of the “Today Show.”
A survey conducted by the Hollywood Reporter revealed that 45 percent of those questioned felt NBC’s decision to cancel the show was “too harsh of a consequence.”
In a USA Today article entitled, “‘Megyn Kelly Today’ could’ve taught us about blackface this Halloween,” the author feels that taking her off the air was not the right thing to do. Rather, this could have been used as an opportunity to educate people on the history of blackface so they can understand why it is so offensive.
A CNN article pointed out that the only way to resolve issues such as these is through dialogue and engagement with people who have different perspectives and life experiences, and the author feels that NBC could have done a better job at facilitating this.
At this point in time, the future is uncertain for Megyn Kelly. It was reported that she has been dropped by her current agent and is seeking representation elsewhere. Kelly recently obtained a lawyer, and matters are very tense between her and NBC executives as they negotiate the terms of her exit. While many speculated that she would return to FOX, Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of New Fox said that the network does not plan on adding her back to their lineup anytime soon.