NBC canceled 'Megyn Kelly Today' in 2018 following the host's controversial blackface remarks.
Megyn Kelly is speaking out almost two years after NBC canceled her show, Megyn Kelly Today, following her controversial blackface comments. The 49-year-old journalist took to Twitter on Tuesday to seemingly throw some shade at the network after news broke that Tina Fey had requested NBC pull blackface episodes of her sitcom, 30 Rock, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and increasing calls for racial justice across the country.
Kelly retweeted an article about the decision to take down the episodes from NBC's streaming and syndication, writing, "Wait - what network aired those episodes again?"
Four episodes of 30 Rock featuring characters in blackface were pulled earlier this week at the request of Fey, who is the show's creator, star, and executive producer.
"As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation," Fey said in a statement to Variety. "I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused. Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request."
In October 2018, Kelly's NBC talk show, Megyn Kelly Today, was canceled after the host defended using blackface for Halloween costumes. The remarks followed a string of other widely publicized on-air controversies for Kelly.
"What is racist?" she asked on her show at the time. "You do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid, that was OK just as long as you were dressing as a character."
Prior to the cancellation, Kelly gave a tearful on-air apology for her comments.
"I defended the idea, saying as long as it was respectful and part of a Halloween costume, it seemed OK," Kelly said. "Well, I was wrong and I am sorry."
Kelly officially left NBC in January 2019, and ET learned that she received the entirety of her $69 million contract with NBC upon her exit from the network.
Kelly has since gone on to launch her own YouTube channel, which features interviews she's conducted.
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