It seems like only mere months ago that America’s sweetheart Megyn Kelly was on top of the world. Riding high as a successful Fox News pundit, her career hit the prime time with universal acclaim on both sides of the aisle.
Kelly earned early points with liberals thanks to her brief beef with Trump during the primary debates, while conservatives have always gravitated toward the youthful reporter’s right-minded views.
But flash forward to today, and the headlines tell a far different tale.
The Kelly Conspiracy
“NBC’s Megyn Kelly Problem,” reads a headline from Variety, while The Daily Caller claims, “Liberals No Longer Want Megyn Kelly.” Over on the conservative front, Breitbart ran the line, “New Low: Megyn Kelly’s Ratings Plummet Again.” And at The Atlantic, “Can Megyn Kelly Escape her Fox News Past?”
With the exception of Breitbart, it’s hard to ignore the negative spin on nearly every headline.
Ever since Kelly debuted at NBC earlier this year, left-wing publications have been slamming her. Her inaugural sit-down with Vladimir Putin prompted pundits to question her viability as a journalist, with many of them saying she “fell flat” and came off as “boring” in what could have been a landmark interview.
But despite her slow start at NBC, is there any truth to the claim that Kelly lacks the charisma to succeed outside the Fox News bubble—or is it just a liberal conspiracy?
Given the barrage of degrading headlines, tweets and posts that have descended upon the internet in recent weeks, the problem is clearly the latter. But the left’s blatant attack on Kelly didn’t materialize overnight. In fact, their unraveling of the 46-year-old reporter has been years in the making. Here’s a quick recap of what lead Kelly down the path of impending ruin.
The Rise of Megyn Kelly
In 2004, Megyn Kelly gained the attention of conservatives everywhere through her insightful contributions on the Fox News channel. From Brit Hume to Bill O’Reilly to her very own program The Kelly File, the journalist quickly became a Republican favorite right up until the 2016 election. With her contract months from expiring at the start of 2017, Kelly shocked viewers with the announcement that she would join NBC later in the year.
Forbes claims that Fox offered Kelly upwards of $25 million to stay with the network, but she ultimately chose NBC’s $20 million enticement for a few reasons. First, the promise of a weekly news magazine program now dubbed Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly must have been a tempting draw. Competing with the likes of those at the esteemed 20/20 and Dateline is an opportunity few would let pass by, even though Kelly was drawing in an average of 2.7 million viewers over at Fox.
Second, the controversy over former Fox CEO Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment fallout certainly played a contributing factor in Kelly’s departure. The disgraced producer allegedly made unwanted advances toward Kelly early in her career, which is something she has openly shared.
Although she was not involved in any subsequent lawsuits, it was reported that network honchos pressured Kelly to defend Ailes. Her refusal created a greater rift throughout the Fox family.
Third, all of these details are further compounded by the storm surrounding Bill O’Reilly’s swift departure from the network. After Ailes resignation, O’Reilly openly criticized Kelly’s public attack on the former CEO.
In the aftermath, Kelly wasn’t happy with the way Fox handled the squabble, but in hindsight, doesn’t it all make sense? O’Reilly experienced dealt with the very same sexual harassment controversy of his own. A bit hypocritical, you don’t say?
An Opportunity the Left Couldn’t Miss
So, how does the liberal media factor into this equation now that Megyn Kelly is a few weeks into her highly anticipated program at NBC? In short, they’re taking advantage of her abrupt network switch and are using it to further their radical media takeover.
Like any debut news program, Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly needs time to gain a following, especially given its prime time slot. But instead of letting television trends take their course, the Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Newsweek and other liberal outlets are launching a vendetta to villainize the talented talk show host.
Many liberals claimed to like Kelly because she seemed younger than the typical old “fogeys” at Fox. But in reality, they’re so blinded by hatred that they can’t see past her name and its “evil” Fox connotations. And where were the so-called feminists when Kelly came out with her revelations about Ailes? Surely they’d be happy to defend one of their fellow female sufferers, but even the liberal ladies have stayed radio silent on the issue.
Only time will tell what happens to Kelly at NBC. If you read through the lines, there’s plenty of hope still for the personable star. But until the left stops their conspiratorial attack, it’ll be near impossible for conservatives to realize their career ambitions in the prime time arena.
~ Liberty Planet
