Could Kelly Ripa’s ‘Live’ Be Overshadowed By Megyn Kelly’s New Daytime Show On NBC?
Kelly Ripa’s Live has been without a permanent co-host for months. Now, the show is reportedly set to go head-to-head with an upcoming news talk program on NBC that will be hosted by Megyn Kelly.
Kelly, who recently announced her decision to leave Fox News where she has worked for over a decade, is set to join NBC. The 46-year-old lawyer and journalist is scheduled to host a daytime news show at 9 a.m. ET on NBC, which would coincide with Kelly Ripa’s Live, Syracuse reported.
“After more than a dozen years at Fox News, I have decided to pursue a new challenge…I’ll be leaving Fox News at the week’s end and starting a new adventure, joining the journalists at NBC News, who I deeply admire,” Megyn Kelly said on The Kelly File.
NBC executives are yet to confirm reports that Megyn Kelly’s new talk show would clash with Kelly Ripa’s Live and take over Today’s third hour, which is between 9 to 10 a.m.
However, Andrew Lack, chairman of NBC Universal News Group, said Megyn Kelly’s show would run from Monday to Friday. The name and exact time when the daytime show would be debuted is yet to be announced.
Kelly, who reportedly rejected a $20 million a year salary offer for her to remain with Fox News, will also host an evening news magazine show. As per her contract with NBC, she will be involved in the network’s coverage of political and special events while also contributing to NBC’s breaking news.
On Wednesday, Hoda Kotb, who hosts Today with Kathie Lee Gifford, welcomed Megyn Kelly to the NBC family. “We are welcoming huge star, and an intimidating media power player, but Great, we have a new gal pal to share a laugh with in the mornings,” she said.
Since Tuesday, when news of Megyn Kelly’s move to NBC became public, questions have been raised about her experience with daytime television. Some have also questioned if Kelly would be able to connect with a broader audience than Fox News’, the New York Times reported.
“I don’t know most of you, so perhaps it’s not true love,” Megyn Kelly said concerning her relationship with her audience. “But it’s the kind of feeling makes one feel connected to another human being, and that’s why I believe we’re here-human connection. The truth is I need more of that in my life, particularly when it comes to my children who are 7, 5, and 3.”
Besides appearing as Kelly Ripa’s guest co-host on Live a day after the presidential election, Megyn Kelly has never done any daytime shows, the Daily Beast reported. Incidentally, ABC’s Live with Kelly got its highest ratings since Michael Strahan left the show for Good Morning America when Kelly appeared as a guest co-host.
Since April 2016 when Strahan left Live, ABC has been looking for a permanent Kelly Ripa co-host. So far, about 50 personalities have appeared on Live as guest co-hosts. The situation at Live has led to intense speculation about who ABC would finally pick for the job.
Megyn Kelly and CNN’s Anderson Cooper, both of whom have appeared on Live as guests co-hosts, are among the many personalities that have been linked with replacing Strahan as Kelly Ripa’s permanent co-host.
The circumstances of Strahan’s departure from Live, where he worked for several years after taking over from Regis Philbin, caused a scandal. Kelly Ripa and other members of the Live team were reportedly not informed about Strahan’s exit until a few minutes before ABC execs made the announcement.
Could Megyn Kelly’s new show pull viewers away from Kelly Ripa’s Live?
[Featured Image by Chris Pizzello/ Getty Images]
