I was a guest on set with Megyn Kelly on The Dr. Oz Show in November 2015. She was promoting her book Settle for More and I was there to talk about being a survivor of sexual assault following her disclosure of alleged sexual harassment by Roger Ailes, CEO of Fox News. I sat in the audience before I went on air and was in awe by her strength in coming forward and sharing her story as a public figure.
A few months prior, my husband, who’s an actor, played a role on her political series Embeds. Other than those two occurences, I didn’t know much about Megyn since I’m a staunch democrat and feminist and never wander far from MSNBC and she was a Fox News correspondent.
After the show, I read her memoir and grew to like her despite our differing core values. I liked her direct approach especially after I watched her question Donald Trump at the Republican National Debate. She knows how to hold her own especially when it comes to narcissistic men.
In September 2017, I flew to New York City from Chicago to be in the audience for the season premiere of TODAY with Megyn Kelly featuring the cast of Will and Grace. The show had a good vibe, energy was high, and I liked what I saw. As I was leaving, I stopped at the Rockefeller Center gift shop and took a picture and said to myself, “Someday I’ll be back as a guest on Megyn Kelly TODAY.”
I pitch story ideas to local and national shows regularly and many times I receive the response, “Thanks, but not for us.” I’m grateful for the opportunities I had at a turning point in my career to be a guest AND an expert on the show in one season. Megyn Kelly took risks and chose to talk about the hard stuff that the other networks wouldn’t touch like “Mommy Drinking Culture” which is a segment my story was featured on in April 2018. Some of my followers commented, “I can’t believe YOU were on that show. I think you sold out. She represents everything you are against.” I believed in MK and know the power media can have on viewers. My story was worth sharing to inspire others no matter what platform I chose to share it on.
Although Megyn will be gone, my hope is that the 9am hour on TODAY will be filled with topics that impact the viewers deeply and the conversations had will continue to push boundaries. However, it’s mandatory that they will be more appropriate boundaries and not ones that are offensive, racist, or disrespectful. I’d be happy to sign up and take the job!
I can’t speak specifically to Megyn Kelly’s character because our exchanges during the segments were so quick but I appreciate the fact that she took ownership and apologized for her Blackface comments. She tried to clean up her mess but in an age when we are trying to do better and moving toward with a no tolerance policy of discrimination, I think NBC News Chief, Andy Lack did the right thing by terminating her contract. Megyn Kelly’s services can be better suited elsewhere. Potentially, back on Fox where she can cover harder news with a more Republican flavor. I wish her the best of luck and can’t wait to hear what NBC TODAY has in store for us next!
