Megyn Kelly nearing exit agreement with NBC (worthy a hefty sum)
Per the New York Post, there are multiple parties working now on an exit agreement that could end up netting the former Megyn Kelly Today host the full $30 million that is still remaining on her contract. As for why NBC and parent company Comcast would be willing to do it, a big part of that may have to do with the fact that Comcast may just want all of this to go away. It’s easier in some ways just to find a quick resolution to this situation than to have it drag out and become some sort of complicated legal battle.
A source from the aforementioned publication echoes this, saying that “everyone wants this to be over — both Megyn and NBC — and Comcast has the money to pay off Megyn.”
The site also notes that a deal won’t be officially over and done for around another week or so, which makes some sense given that Thanksgiving is coming and people are going to be taking some time away from work.
Do we even sense NBC spending all that much time talking about this on-air? Not exactly, largely because there is no real reason for them to do that. What is, more than likely, going to be their priority is just trying to move on. The Megyn Kelly move never quite worked out the way in which they had hoped for — as a matter of fact, it was a surprise that they hired the former Fox News host in the first place given her former network’s political leanings coupled with the viewpoint of most other shows within the NBC umbrella. Megyn Kelly Today had a few less-than-fortunate headlines during its run, but not caused the stir that Kelly’s comments about blackface did. That was the spark that led to her being taken off the air, and these discussions officially beginning about an exit package.
As for where things go now moving forward at Today, we’ve already gotten a sense of it with some of their home-grown talent. Moving forward, we’d hope that they will continue to emphasize this more so than just about anything else. We certainly think that it would benefit a little bit from just sticking with personalities that NBC already knows that their viewers love. That is, after all, the best way to preserve the show’s long-term success rather than just bringing in more talent that you don’t know if it will mesh with your viewers are not. There are times to take risks, and then there are times to just be okay with some of what you’ve got. This feels a little bit more like a time for the latter after this risk didn’t work out as planned.
What do you think about Kelly’s reported exit deal with NBC? Be sure to share some of your thoughts in the attached comments. (Photo: NBC.)