The Rebranding of Megyn Kelly Rings False on NBC’s ‘Today’

From Campaign US: Considering NBC almost killed its “Today” show franchise twice (does the axing of both Jane Pauley and Ann Curry simply because they were aging ring a bell?), you might have assumed the network learned a lesson: Don’t mess with success. “Today” was like a well-oiled machine, with four seamless hours and a target audience—older women—who obviously forgave the network for both stars’ unnecessary exits. It was performing well against chief rival “Good Morning America,” and life at “Today” seemed to be pretty darn good.

Enter Megyn Kelly.

As the former “golden girl” at Fox News, Megyn Kelly could do no wrong…at least it seemed. Her show, “The Kelly Files,” had been the second highest rated cable program in the cable news net (behind “The O’Reilly Factor”) since 2013. She wrote a best-selling memoir, “Settle for More.” She repeatedly sparred with then president-elect Donald Trump, never backing down and gaining a ton of publicity as a result. She landed her first primetime special on Fox (with Donald Trump, pre-presidency, one of the interviewees). And there was Kelly, front and center, defending the women who accused former Fox News chairman Roger Aisles of sexual misconduct.

So, when it came time for Kelly to renegotiate her contact (timing is everything), a number of outlets expressed interest. Included was Fox News, even though Kelly was busy trashing her then-current home. For more, click