A few weeks ago the big story was Megyn Kelly’s blockbuster deal with NBC and the much-rumored departure from Fox News after a bitter internal battle.
And from that battle emerged reports that she was hated by most of her fellow hosts, all of which was shrouded by allegations of sexual harassment by Roger Ailes.
Now, after thing simmered down a bit, she’s back in the news.
But not for reasons she expected.
Here’s more from WSJ…
Is Megyn Kelly still under contract at Fox News?
Depends on who you ask.
The cable news juggernaut said in a statement that it released Ms. Kelly from the network on March 9, almost four months before her contract expires on July 1, so she can start working at NBC News. She announced in January that she will be anchoring a daily morning show at NBC along with a Sunday evening program.
Ms. Kelly’s camp contests that. Leslee Dart, Ms. Kelly’s spokeswoman said, “the terms of the termination are still being negotiated.”
Ms. Kelly’s most recent deal at Fox News paid her an annual salary of $15 million, people familiar with the contract said. They said the deal also came with the usual perks for big-name talent such as car service and security.
Meanwhile, NBC is in limbo. While it has an agreement with Ms. Kelly that includes a salary in the same neighborhood as what she was making at Fox News, she still doesn’t have a start date at NBC News, a person close to the situation said.
Ms. Kelly’s last on-air appearance at Fox News was January 6 when she signed off as host of her prime-time show “The Kelly File.” She announced her new shows with NBC News a few days earlier, but little beyond the general time of day and frequency of the programs is known.
When NBC unveils its programming for the 2017-2018 TV season in May, Ms. Kelly could be a major asset in presentations to advertisers.
One option under consideration for Ms. Kelly’s morning show is to do a 10 a.m. program that would be filmed in front of a live audience and wouldn’t be part of the “Today Show” franchise, according to people familiar with the matter. NBC declined to comment.
Although the show is due to debut in the fall, an executive producer has still not been named, NBC says.
Even less is known about the Sunday night show beyond that it will be a news magazine and could premiere as early as this summer. However, its run would be brief as NBC airs “Sunday Night Football” through the fall and will air next year’s Super Bowl.
Fox News-parent 21st Century Fox and Wall Street Journal-publisher News Corp share common ownership.
