Megyn Kelly’s ‘Today’ hour is struggling to book celebrities, because they hate her

Megyn Kelly today as seen on NBC.

I’m trying not to be deliberately cruel about Megyn Kelly. I don’t wish her any harm personally. I just want her to fail professionally. I want everyone to come together and acknowledge that she sucks as an on-air talent, and that NBC News was flat-out crazy and stupid for replacing Tamron Hall with Mediocre Meg, and for throwing millions of dollars on Megyn’s contract too. NBC gambled on the idea that Megyn was A) a real journalist and B) someone people would want to see in the mornings. She is neither. She comes across as rude, accusatory and awkward on her hour of the Today Show. So I want her to fail. And she is! Last week, the feelgood story was that her ratings are tanking and her presence is devaluing the Today Show brand (which is normally quite lucrative for the channel). Now here’s a new wrinkle: no celebrity wants to be interviewed by Megyn. Ha.

In addition to widespread criticism and sluggish ratings, Megyn Kelly is facing another impending crisis. After three weeks on TV, celebrities aren’t rushing to sit down with her.

A number of publicists who spoke to Variety expressed discomfort with the idea of booking their clients in the third hour of “Today,” which has now been retitled “Megyn Kelly Today.” These publicists, however, said they are still eager to take their talent to other blocs of the morning show. “I’m not booking anyone on her show,” says a high-powered publicist, with a roster of big names, who asked for anonymity due to her overall relationship with “Today.” “I literally haven’t pitched anyone even from right out the gate. The buzz that is out there is so bad.”

Another well-known publicist, who represents one of the celebrities who has appeared on Kelly’s show, wasn’t pleased with the interview. “I won’t plan to have others go on,” the publicist said. “None specifically have been offered or asked to, but it’ll be my preference not to.”

Celebrities are a sweet spot for daytime TV. Katie Couric launched her talk show on ABC in 2012 with a gushy interview with Jessica Simpson, who revealed her post-baby body for the moms watching at home. Meredith Vieira landed Jennifer Lopez in 2014. And despite those big gets, viewers still didn’t tune in, which led both shows to being cancelled after two years.

“Ellen,” “Live with Kelly and Ryan” (which goes up directly against “Megyn Kelly”) and “The View” frequently lure star-studded guests. Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, who appear on the fourth hour of “Today,” have attracted the likes of Tyler Perry, Andrew Garfield, Brooke Shields, Judd Apatow and “Dear Evan Hansen” lead Ben Platt in recent months.

Over the summer, sources tell Variety that producers from Kelly’s show made a trip to Los Angeles to sell the big publicity firms on the new hour of “Today,” promising a lighter, more inspirational Kelly that viewers hadn’t seen before. However, according to an insider who attended one of the meetings, the team didn’t seem to have a clear direction of the show they were pitching. Kelly didn’t fit into a box like Ellen DeGeneres or Dr. Oz. And as a result, not too many celebrities jumped onboard.

[From Variety]

Variety goes on to say that the only celebrities who are showing up on Megyn’s show are the ones contractually obligated by NBC to be there, meaning the cast members of NBC properties. And I suspect even they would prefer to be interviewed by Kathie Lee and Hoda, if not Matt Lauer. Here’s my big worry though: that NBC will start leaning harder into the celebrity guests they can get, and it will start to swing to reality show personalities. First it will be Real Housewives, and then you know who she’ll go after? The Duggars. She already has interviewed some of the Duggars when Josh Duggar was first revealed to be a child molesting pervert. That didn’t go well either. Anyway, long story short: the Today Show producers still have a lot of terrible options for trying to get this sh-t to work out. But it will be pouring good money after bad, because Megyn should not be on morning television, people.

Megyn Kelly today as seen on NBC.

Photos courtesy of WENN, NBC.

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69 Responses to “Megyn Kelly’s ‘Today’ hour is struggling to book celebrities, because they hate her”

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  1. neelyo says:

    The stench of Fox will never wash off of her.

    • Josie says:

      Yeah all the race baiting she was involved in at Fox, people don’t forget that.

      And she started out as a litigator, you can see that in her interviewing technique.

      Awful woman.

      • Charlie says:

        NBC didn’t gamble on her ability, or lack there of, they gambled on shifting Fox viewers. I imagine her reps told the network that her work at Fox was just an act. I really don’t understand how anyone thought Megyn Kelly was going to be anything but Megyn Kelly. Duh…

    • Nicole says:

      Exactly and it shouldn’t.

      • velourazure says:

        And I hope this is a lesson for all those other Fox News barbie-bots. Stay at Fox. No one else wants you.

    • CooCoo Catchoo says:

      You hit the nail on the head. I watched the first episode out of curiosity. What a cringe fest. She oozes insincerity and unlikability. And that interview with the “Will & Grace” cast was beyond uncomfortable.
      When she opened the show with the confession that she didn’t want to focus on politics, I knew she was in trouble. I bet no one was more surprised by that revelation than her bosses at NBC.

      • whatWHAT? says:

        I haven’t watched any of it, but I saw a promo several times yesterday and even THAT was cringeworthy.

        (it was the one where she’s being “interviewed” by some cookie-cutter blonde in stars and stripes platform heels (yeah, THAT is how you disrespect the flag, folks..) and she talks about how her “brother used have a saying”…BLAH BLAH BLAH. she’s intolerable.)

    • Louise177 says:

      I don’t think it’s her Fox past. Kelly is just bad on the show. I don’t know why they gave her a talk show. You need a certain personality for it and she doesn’t.

      • Annabelle Bronstein says:

        Agreed, it’s actually really difficult (or at least takes a rare personality) to make a talk show work. Kris Jenner couldn’t do it, Bethenney was awful, Megan Mullaley couldn’t even do it. Why did they think Megyn Kelly (who has now pissed off both Republicans and Democrats) could do it? She’s extremely awkward when removed from the Fox News format.

      • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

        Eh, it’s both.

      • xo says:

        the executives who hired her should have the self-awareness to quit. they really made a terrible decision.

      • mouse tolliver says:

        Of course it’s her Fox News past! Just read the reaction to this Russell Brand tweet where he shared a Megyn selfie.

        https://twitter.com/rustyrockets/status/915220042219913216

        When you compliment Megyn Kelly your fans turn on you for normalizing a homophobic racist. That’s why Debra Messing threw her under a the bus.

    • magnoliarose says:

      No it will never be forgotten how awful she was for a very long time when she was at Fox. She relished in being a bigot and an a-hole and being rewarded for it.

    • minx says:

      The right hate her because she “disrespected” Trump at the debates and because she left Fox. The left has always hated her. So they seem to be relying on those in the middle, and she is flopping there because she’s not likable at all.

    • Oh-Dear says:

      I think it shows just how out of touch with the rest of America Fox really is. Their fanbase is more rabid and diehard than the sane(r) networks, but their messaging and essence just doesn’t translate well to people who aren’t looking for a fight at every turn.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      ” promising a lighter, more inspirational Kelly that viewers hadn’t seen before.”

      You can’t be on air spewing racist hate stories for YEARS and expect people to buy the idea that you have something to offer that they haven’t seen before.

      Take your stories about “white santa” and the hyperbole about the “new black panthers” and grovel back to Fox, Megan. You’re only appropriate for hate-wing radio and news after that.

    • derpshooter says:

      Like from Labyrinth: FOX of Eternal Stench.

  2. Alix says:

    I hope Tamron’s enjoying a good laugh over this.

    • Odette says:

      I didn’t realize that Tamron was bumped for Kelly. Makes me so angry!

    • NotSoSocialButterfly says:

      Me, too. She’s so versatile, she can do anything. She was their shot at a real star. And just beautiful on top of all that talent.

  3. Lolo86lf says:

    I do not feel sorry at all Ms. Kelly’s show is bombing. Whenever I remembered how biased and prejudiced she was and still is against minorities and democrats my blood goes up. When that kid got murdered in Orlando Florida by that neighborhood watch racist gun nut, Megyn started talking about the victim’s criminal record. I will not act like I don’t dislike her which I do. I am glad her show is not doing well.

    • Esmom says:

      Yeah, she’s a terrible person. And she also has zero charisma. I’m glad she’s tanking, too.

      • Bellagio DuPont says:

        @ Esmom:

        Exactly. Plus, she has that pinched, spiteful face that just doesn’t read as “nice” no matter how hard she tries.

        I’ll crack open a bottle of champers the day she gets kicked off of NBC. Eagerly anticipating that drink! 😀

    • Chaine says:

      Same here. Enjoying seeing her go down in flames. And I still hate NBC for that they did to Ann Curry, so even if I like MK and her show was good, I wouldn’t watch it.

  4. Who ARE these people? says:

    Try White Santa. He’ll come.

  5. ArchieGoodwin says:

    She had 2 of the biggest names in show business, ever, and blew it. That look Jane Fonda gave her was pure gold.

    I didn’t realize the Today show lasted hours and hours. 4th hour! Yikes.

  6. boredblond says:

    Matt lauer has been considered a piece of crap who ‘arranged’ hiring/firing for years…guess he gets a pass though…again, this is about the green..she will get paid if she’s on the air or not

  7. grabbyhands says:

    Good. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving person. I can’t even look at her commercials, which I feel like they’re doing a full court press on. I have to mute them or turn the channel. She should have stayed on Fox.

    NBC whored themselves out to attract the people who voted for they guy who is lambasting their network as fake news. They’re getting everything they deserve.

  8. HH says:

    “I’m trying not to be deliberately cruel about Megyn Kelly. I don’t wish her any harm personally. I just want her to fail professionally. I want everyone to come together and acknowledge that she sucks as an on-air talent, and that NBC News was flat-out crazy and stupid for replacing Tamron Hall with Mediocre Meg,”

    CACKLED. I CACKLED AT THIS. Thanks for a good laugh in 2017. This year is killing me.

  9. Barrett says:

    Pink is not her colors. She keeps wearing it as part of the image overall not working.

    • Bellagio DuPont says:

      @ Barrett:

      It’s like a giant cobra, draped in a blush pink, silk scarf……

      Dude, you’re still a cobra 🐍 .

      • Avery says:

        This!!! I don’t know if it’s the botox or face lift but her face doesn’t move when she talks. Her face is offensive.

  10. Emily says:

    Does NBC have any television shows that people care about? What reality shows do they even have? I guess Bravo is part of NBC. But, so is Univision, and that’ll be a hard sell.

    NBC didn’t care about whether she was a real journalist or she’d be good in the morning. They thought the country was being overtaken by Fox News trolls. Instead of committing themselves to providing a real “news” show or anything entertaining, they decided they’d just try to get some of those loyal Fox News watchers by hiring a former Fox News blonde and maybe sexually harrassing her a little less than they had. And it’s backfiring and they deserve it.

    Tamron Hall was too good for them.

  11. Nancy says:

    She is delusional and so is NBC if they thought she’d be the next Katie. She had her feelings hurt by 45 and took it to heart which humanized her for a minute. But, she hasn’t changed and you can’t take the Fox out of the anchor.

  12. Whatever Gurl says:

    She doesn’t present well. Her makeup is over the top, her outfits don’t exude professionalism. She has access to the best so I’m not giving her a pass here.

    Her latest stance “I don’t like politics” is just rubbish. As a privileged wealthy white woman, she just wants to focus on hair, diets, celebs–gag. Being a tolerant and aware person is not political!

    • third ginger says:

      She made her reputation with “politics” It was the politics of white grievance, among other nonsense.

    • Dizzie says:

      The hair? She has the best to work on her so wtf? It’s kind of like a Kelly Ripka bob, but why go there? I never watch these shows, such fake fondness among them. No wonder they drink in the am.

  13. happyoften says:

    She has the personality and warmth of a viper, without any of the cool. She can’t fake nice that well, so just comes off as truly genuine when she’s mean.

    There is probably a reason for this.

  14. Anniefannie says:

    I can’t fathom how NBC thought this would work. She’s one dimension which is bitchy, driven and always trying to destabilize whomever she’s interviewing. Trying to soften her style is an excersize in futility.
    I like most couldn’t pardon her race baiting
    on her former network. I love that her former ” work ” is preserved in perpetuity. I don’t like to wish woman to fail but in this case I’ll make an exception! I wasn’t a huge fan of Tamara Hall but she has legit reason to crow!

  15. magnoliarose says:

    It doesn’t seem as though programming executives at NBC understood that MK was only a favorite on a cable network for a demographic that is not a majority of the public. Not only that but no one forgets her headlines for being a jerk and saying horrible things. They seem to think it is 1995 when they could ditch black women for someone as toxic as MK, and it wouldn’t go unpunished. Her fans were right wing guys, and some women and even a majority of those people aren’t around in the mornings to help her ratings.
    And then there is the fact that she sucks.

  16. Electric Tuba says:

    Right she’s on the 4th hour of Today. Apparently it is Today all day. Lol

  17. The Original G says:

    Meh, isn’t this format dead, anyway?

  18. KWM says:

    I fixed the typo:
    because Megyn should not be on television, people.

  19. JenB says:

    Her voice always sounds unbearably smug and condescending to me. And she does not exude any genuine warmth. You can just tell she’s all about herself. Pass.

  20. Tiffany says:

    I remember the promo for this trainwreck. It has her faux speaking, high fiving and then hugging black people.

    Why would you interact with the one group that you hate and never welcomed in your life anyway.

    That was NBC’s mistake, you got her warts and all. You should let her go on, warts and all.

    • Chrissy says:

      Those promos are so cringe-worthy and fake, knowing what we know abut her time at Fox. Does NBC think the public are stupid amnesiacs? Especially in this political climate? I guess they thought that someone who looks like her would be a success despite being a race-baiting, sarcastic, entitled and insincere person. Ridiculous!

      • Bellagio DuPont says:

        “Someone who LOOKS like her?

        I think she has one of the harshest, meanest faces on tv. Rather too snake-like for my tastes, personally.

  21. Pabena6 says:

    So does anybody think she’ll end up back on Fox? Or has she burned that bridge, too?

  22. Ruyana says:

    I have a serious question. Why are Kelly, Ivanka and Melania all wearing the fugly 1980’s “pussy-bow” blouse? That should have died a well-deserved death in the 1980’s. Are they making a statement? And if so is it a fashion statement or a political statement? Opinions?

  23. Penelope says:

    She is obnoxious, smug, and untalented. What a shock her show’s tanking.

  24. Ivy says:

    I love this so much. She’s SO terrible wow i feel like every day it just gets worse and i get happier

  25. RedWeatherTiger says:

    I hate her, too. I will never, ever watch anything she’s on, so hey, NBC execs? If you’re reading this, I am not a unique person. I am EveryWoman. Yank her off the air and get Tamron back.

  26. gwen says:

    I didn’t expect Megyn to struggle so badly right out of the gate. She looks like a rookie.

    • Deering says:

      Eheheheh. Proof once again that Fox creatures can’t live outside that toxic bubble. All she had to do there was be blonde and spout the fascist party line. But being a propaganda tool requires a way different skill set than being a journalist—or even a talk show host. She can’t interview; she can’t pick stories—and she’s patently phony and uncaring.

    • trumptrickle says:

      Too bad the morons running NBC didn’t pay her like a rookie.

  27. Gwen says:

    How much does Megyn wish she’d stayed at FOX? She might just have a hard time getting another tv gig after this new show of hers is cancelled.