Megyn Kelly says she left Fox News Channel to bring more joy to her life. NBC hopes that starting Monday, she can spread some to the network and its viewers.
The former Fox News Channel star and Donald Trump foil debuts her talk show at 9 a.m. EDT, nestled into the four-hour “Today” show block and competing in most of the country with Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest’s “Live!”
Kelly hosted a Sunday-night newsmagazine this summer to middling ratings, and it returns next spring. It's the daily talk show, in the lucrative morning market, that will ultimately determine the wisdom of NBC News' decision to hire her. She promises that "Megyn Kelly Today," shown live with a studio audience, will be an information-packed hour with a sense of fun.
"It will be very similar to the 'Today' show, but we're going to have a lot more elbow room," she said in an interview.
Ellen DeGeneres initiated Kelly into daytime TV this week by having her awkwardly toss pizza dough, stuff herself into a fat suit and dance with the audience; Kelly smiled and played along. It was a long way from her Fox life of pressing the future president at debates, enduring his Twitter taunts and being the ringleader for an hour of politics each weeknight.
The Trump trauma wasn't why she left Fox, Kelly said. She compared it to her decision to abandon law to become a journalist and ending her first marriage: they weren't bad experiences, but she knew there was something better.
The truth, Kelly said, is that she’s not a political junkie and cable television news is all about politics.
"I don't want to talk about Trump all day," she said. "In fact, the bar is very high for Trump coverage (on 'Megyn Kelly Live'). If you want Trump, you can watch virtually every channel in the country and get Trump non-stop. I think people are looking for a break from that. Not just Trump, it's inside the Beltway. I don't want to talk about Mitch McConnell either, or Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi."
"Live! With Kelly and Ryan" is a celebrity- and entertainment-oriented talk show. Kelly said her program will be uplifting and more substantive: recent trial runs had segments on reacting to the Equifax breach and protecting yourself from attack. Mental health, bullying, coping with divorce and tips for job interviews are the type of topics she'll cover.
Not news, but not fluff, either.
Trying to imitate the formula of “Live!” would be a huge mistake given its success over decades, said Bill Carroll, a consultant and expert on the daytime TV market.
Name recognition, a consistent time slot across the country that makes the show easier to promote, and affiliation with the well-established “Today’ brand give Kelly some advantages, he said.
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