Megyn Kelly is a complicated person. On one side, she’s a racist jackass parroting conservative talking points, and she has the on-screen presence of an ice cube. On the other side, Megyn has stood up for herself as a woman in a toxic work place, and she 100% did the right thing by working behind the scenes to encourage other women to stand up for themselves and report harassment and assault. Megyn did that at Fox News – she provided cover and support for her female colleagues to work with the independent investigation into their toxic workplace, and Roger Ailes’ behavior specifically. Then Megyn went to NBC for a cushy Today Show job, only she was kind of terrible and she ultimately left because of racism, bad ratings and… because she was largely undermined by the men in power, truly.
After Ronan Farrow’s book came out and everyone was talking about Matt Lauer and the male executives who allowed Lauer to harass and assault women in the workplace, Megyn Kelly spoke up yet again – she called for NBC to hire an outside firm to investigate what happened. So far, NBC has ignored her. So Megyn went to Us Weekly.
Not backing down. Megyn Kelly is taking NBC to task after new sexual assault accusations against Matt Lauer and alleged cover-ups at the network were detailed in Ronan Farrow’s new book, Catch and Kill.
“Comcast, which owns NBC Universal, is a $200 billion company,” Kelly, 48, says exclusively in the new issue of Us Weekly. “There is zero reason why with those resources, and if NBC truly has nothing to hide, it should not hire an outside investigator to look into the allegations that NBC executives have facilitated and covered up a culture of sexual harassment and abuse.”
Lauer and reps for NBC respectively dispute these claims. NBC News president Noah Oppenheim, for his part, went on the attack in a memo to NBC staff.
“These claims have been made not just by Ronan Farrow and NBC producer Rich McHugh, but also by former NBC journalists Ann Curry and Linda Vester, rape survivor Sil Lai Abrams and others,” Kelly tells Us. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant — which is why firms like CBS, Fox News, NPR and the NFL hired outside investigators to look into similar claims.”
Is part of this just Megyn Kelly trying to screw over her former employer after she left? For sure. But… she’s also right. She’s also kind of awesome for this (and little else!). Megyn is absolutely right in this case: NBC needs to do what – gulp – Fox News did, and hire an outsider to investigate them and take testimony and statements from victims of harassment and assault. I should say this though: the only reason why Fox News did hire an outside firm to investigate the company was because the Murdoch sons, Lachlan and James, were trying to oust Roger Ailes because they knew he was problematic. In fairness, once Lachlan and James Murdoch learned of all the harassment and assault, they immediately settled with Gretchen Carlson and other victims and made major amends. Who would fill that role at NBC or Comcast? Because it needs to be someone big, coming in and saying “no, we shouldn’t hide this, we need to do right by the women who work here.”
Cover courtesy of Us Weekly, additional photos courtesy of NBC/WENN.
Having been a corporate lawyer for nearly all my career, and much of it in compliance, I find it astonishing that NBC hasn’t done this. Corporations ROUTINELY hire outside firms to investigate claims of wrongdoing and law-breaking. The liability risk is greatly multiplied when no investigation or a self-serving internal “investigation” (that generally finds no culpability) is undertaken. I can’t believe I agree with Megyn Kelly on anything. Jeez.
Agreed. Even FOX hired an outside firm. I usually side-eye outside firm investigations a little, because, after all, they’re being paid for by the corporation, but in Fox’s case the outside investigation did seem to bring results; Ailes would have never been fired otherwise. I was gobsmacked that Comcast didn’t retain an outside firm, even for appearance’s sake.
Absolutely right that external investigations are skewed, but for CYA purposes (and so the company can point to it in the story on page one of the Wall Street Journal) they are pretty effective. What’s not effective is to refuse to investigate or to say “we looked into it and found no wrongdoing.” Comcast/NBC are seeing the consequences…the story goes on and on and on.
As long as the higher ups support Andy Lack’s employment, nothing will change.
And she is not a complicated person. She is just lucky that her last two employers have aspects that are a little worst than her. She is the straight up definition of a broken clock.
Lol, my immediate reaction was “even a broken clock …”
I’m about to type a sentence that I can’t believe but….Megyn is right in this instance.
+1 and what I came here to say. Hold their feet to the fire, Megyn! Make them investigate Matt Lauer and his electric door lock.
As much as I dislike her, she’s right.
Hahaha Jink I was also thinking “even a broken clock”
She’s absolutely right but she’s the last person I want to hear it from. She’s a disgusting, narcissistic bigot and misogynist who only takes up feminist causes when she has benefited, or stands to benefit from them (anti-sexual harassment, paid maternity leave).
Maria, I co-sign everything you say. This is why I won’t see Bombshell. No one deserves sexual harassment or mistreatment and I’m glad the women at Fox News took Roger Ailes down. But IMO this is not the Me Too story we need. I’m disgusted at the thought of people praising Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, because I’m worried the nuance will be missing from the praise. It will be “what great, strong women!” when it should be “these women acted courageously to take down a predator, however let’s not forget the many problematic things they have said and done throughout the years (insert examples).” I don’t know…I hope that makes sense.
YES!! I have seen so many women say they were excited to see this, and I just think, “blechhhh these women are terrible people….”
I wouldn’t discourage terrible people from doing good things.
Never thought I would praise her, but she’s absolutely right. Matt’s reign of terror was know to everyone (it seems). Heads should roll.
There has been a few blind items (grain of salt warning) that the higher ups are still trying to find some formula to bring Matt Lauer back to NBC.