Rooting for Megyn Kelly to Fail

Is everyone rooting for Megyn Kelly to fail? A woman who was getting great press from places like the New York Times and The New Yorker has now become an object of derision… from just about everyone.

True enough, as I have mentioned, Kelly blew up her career in order to make something of a political statement against Fox News and Roger Ailes. True enough, no one with an ounce of sense thought that her shtick would work at 9:00 a.m. Apparently, NBC has tried to make her warm and cuddly... a rank absurdity.  Also, we do not expect that the New York Post, owned by the folks who own Fox News, were going to be rooting for her.

Be all of that as it may, yesterday’s story is not good news for Kelly. But it is especially bad news for NBC. I trust that you will not be unhappy to hear that NBC is suffering. It's not just that Kelly's new morning show is turning people off. It is dragging down the shows that come before and after. Speaking of guilt by association.

Page Six has the story:

The numbers are in, and “Megyn Kelly Today” is dragging down the “Today” show franchise, an insider explained to Page Six.

“Not only are ratings plummeting since Megyn Kelly joined the ‘Today’ franchise, but the numbers show Kelly’s lead-in has also affected Kathie Lee [Gifford] and Hoda Kotb’s show, which follows straight afterwards,” a source said.

“They’ve taken a huge hit with Megyn as their lead-in,” the insider added.

Kelly’s hour of “Today” is down 32 percent compared to a year ago. And “Kathie Lee & Hoda” is down 26 percent.

“Too many people are tuning out NBC. Hoda and Kathie Lee had been a bright spot in the mornings. People are alarmed,” the source said of the slide. Another source told us that “Today” talent is concerned.

“The format for Megyn’s show doesn’t make sense. Her show distracts from the ‘Today’ franchise,” the second source said.

In order to be fair and balanced, Page Six concludes thusly:

But an NBC insider told us things aren’t all bad for Kelly. “Megyn posted her highest ratings yet in the ‘key demographic’ on Monday, and she had her biggest total viewer number since the premiere . . . Everyone knows that ratings fluctuate at the start of a new show, and there has been nothing but support for Megyn from all of the ‘Today’ show hosts. They have each taken her out to lunch — Kathie Lee just took her to lunch today.”