NBC is really hoping Megyn Kelly's morning show debut has a 'less bad' reception than her Sunday show


Megyn Kelly's NBC News morning program, Megyn Kelly Today, is set to debut one week from today, on Sept. 25 at 9 a.m., but there are already some serious concerns about her role at the network. "We are just bracing ourselves and hoping [the reception of Megyn Kelly Today] is less bad than the reception of [her] Sunday show," one NBC staffer told Vanity Fair.
Kelly left Fox News for NBC News in January after 12 years at the conservative-leaning network. She was reportedly drawn to NBC's morning show offer because it would leave her with more time to spend with her children and husband, and as part of her move, she also signed on for a Sunday night news show, which aired over the summer. Her salary is estimated to be more than $17 million.
Ultimately, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly did make headlines, but not necessarily the desired kind — Kelly's rating were never noteworthy, even when interviewing controversial figures like Vladimir Putin and Alex Jones.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"If she doesn't [succeed with the morning show], it'll be a disaster for NBC,” one news media insider told Vanity Fair. Forbes additionally ruled: "No, NBC still hasn't figured out what to do with Megyn Kelly." Page Six also declared that Kelly's "coworkers are already 'outraged'" by her presence at the network.
"They wonder, 'When does NBC stop throwing money at her?'" one person told the gossip section.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year