*Megyn Kelly and NBC executives are reportedly negotiating the terms of her departure from the news division and sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ that Kelly is demanding a $50 million settlement.
Megyn inked a 3-year deal with the network and she has 1 year and 10 months to go. According to the report, her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, wants NBC to pay her full remaining salary, or face a lawsuit.
Freedman believes Kelly has been targeted since she made critical remarks about Matt Lauer on her show after he was fired for sexual harassment. Lauer was apparently well-liked at the network, and staff and talent felt Megyn attacked him “with glee.”
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Sources say Kelly also believes her comments about NBC News Chairman Andy Lack pissed him off and other honchos, so they had it out for her.
Freedman is expected to have a call with NBC Friday morning and he will argue that his client was treated unfair, pointing to a town hall meeting Wednesday where network talent, including Al Roker, slammed Kelly for her controversial comments about whites wearing blackface, and she wasn’t invited to defend herself.
Kelly and Freedman also point to Joy Reid, who reportedly made homophobic comments in a blog before she started at MSNBC, but was never punished.
Understand that I’m not mad at Megyn Kelly. Get it how you live. I’m upset about a TV game that consistently undervalues and undermines black talent. Too many times, we aren’t the answer until shit goes left.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 26, 2018
While her exit is not official yet, it’s likely to be announced very soon, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. Kelly will not be returning to her 9 a.m. show “Megyn Kelly Today.”
NBC hired Kelly away from Fox News in January 2017 and she was promised two shows, a weekday morning talk show and a Sunday evening newsmagazine. As noted by CNN, the newsmagazine did not last long, and the talk show was a ratings disaster.
According to the TMZ report, a lot of staffers are pissed that NBC cut costs regularly, yet they made a $75 million deal with Kelly to do 2 shows that were both #epicfails.
.@DonLemon says Megyn Kelly controversy partially the fault of” NBC https://t.co/zoGIj5O92Q pic.twitter.com/Q5CaaM6fTC
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 26, 2018
Meanwhile, Kelly’s former Fox co-worker, Kirsten Powers, is attacking NBC for hiring her in the first place when she had known issues on race.
And Jemele Hill noted on Twitter, “Understand that I’m not mad at Megyn Kelly. Get it how you live. I’m upset about a TV game that consistently undervalues and undermines black talent. Too many times, we aren’t the answer until shit goes left.”
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