Megyn Kelly will get $30 million to leave NBC

The split between Megyn Kelly and NBC is still going on, weeks after Kelly was pulled off the air over her comments on blackface. Today, there are reports that a final agreement is probably going to happen next week and it will pay off the remaining amount of Kelly’s contract, about $30 million. From Page Six:

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Sources say NBC owner Comcast will pay Kelly around $30 million. She signed a $69 million deal when she joined the network after leaving Fox News in 2017.

A source familiar with the negotiations said nothing will happen until next week at the earliest, admitting: “It’s taking slightly longer than expected, the paperwork is going back and forth.”

Another confirmed: “Everyone wants this to be over — both Megyn and NBC — and Comcast has the money to pay off Megyn. We thought this would be a done deal a few weeks ago.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that the remaining issues in the negotiation are “nonfinancial.” Nearly three weeks ago there were reports that Kelly and NBC were haggling over terms of a non-disparagement clause. NBC reportedly wanted Kelly to sign a non-disclosure agreement which would prevent her from talking about what she knows about other scandals at NBC, including Matt Lauer, after her departure. The rumor was that Kelly had the upper hand because of what she’d learned about these other NBC scandals. There were even claims that Kelly wanted an extra $10 million to remain silent but Kelly’s attorney said this was false and that she’d never asked for more than her contract required.

According to Page Six, Kelly is already planning her TV comeback. She’ll take some time off and then return to the news in time for the 2020 election. There’s no word on who Kelly plans to sign with next. Would CNN hire her or maybe MSNBC? The latter is probably too far left to hire anyone hated by the left as much as Kelly. And CNN isn’t much different these days. I think the blackface controversy hasn’t permanently damaged Kelly’s brand in ways that would make this a tough sell at most networks.

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The obvious choice would be a return to Fox News, though that would be somewhat humiliating for Kelly. When this came up a few weeks ago, Fox issued a terse statement that sounded like ‘not interested.’

When reached for comment regarding whether Fox News would consider bringing Kelly back on the air, the network told USA TODAY there isn’t room for Kelly right now in the conservative news channel’s prime-time lineup, which now features Tucker Carlson at 8 EDT, Sean Hannity at 9 and Laura Ingraham at 10.

“We are extremely happy with our entire line-up,” a spokesperson for Fox News stated.

Still, Kelly had good ratings at the network before and lineups do shift. Maybe she just wants a weekend show or something in the morning. Plus it wouldn’t hurt that Kelly would probably return at a reduced salary after the NBC debacle. But then it’s not like she needs the money at this point.

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David Strom 3:20 PM | November 15, 2024
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