Megyn Kelly promised to 'get back out there' in her first interview since parting ways with NBC in January.
Megyn Kelly had plenty to say in her first interview since parting ways with NBC in January -- but her lips were sealed when it came to outwardly addressing that departure.
The 48-year-old journalist appeared on Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight on Wednesday, though she didn't discuss her abrupt exit from the network. The interview -- which also marked Kelly's first time on Fox News since she left the cable news network in January 2017 after 12 years to take a job with NBC -- saw her instead address topics like NBC's lack of an external investigation into Matt Lauer, Ronan Farrow's upcoming book and the state of journalism today.
It was the conclusion of Kelly's interview that was the most revealing, as Carlson asked her what she's learned over the past year.
"Very little -- I don't learn so well," she joked. "I'm like Woody Allen. I'm 48 years old, I've learned nothing!"
After a brief pause, Kelly continued, "I have learned a thing or two. What comes to mind is the goodness of humanity, the kindness of strangers, just as awful as the media can be, actual humans are awesome and loving and kind and helpful." She added that she left Fox News in 2017 to spend time with her family and she couldn't be happier with her decision. "I'm mothering my own kids, and there's no substitute for that. I lost my dad when I was 15 years old, so I know... you don't get a do over... so I'm there and I'm enjoying it."
"I'll get back on that horse soon, because this has been fun, so I'll probably get back out there, but right now, I'm still enjoying my day-to-day life with my family and friends," she shared.
ET has learned that Kelly and Fox News Channel had plans to sit down for an interview well in advance of the rape allegations against Matt Lauer that surfaced last week. According to a source familiar with the situation, Carlson personally reached out and booked Kelly "about a week and a half ago."
According to a second source familiar with the situation, Kelly’s appearance on Tucker Carlson Tonight on Wednesday skyrocketed ratings for the hour long program. Says the second source, "The numbers were well above his entire 2019 average."
Kelly officially left NBC in January nearly three months after her show, Megyn Kelly Today, was canceled following the major backlash she received when she defended the use of blackface in Halloween costumes during an on-air segment. But her show had already been plagued with controversy since its debut in mid-2017, thanks to incidents like a widely criticized interview with the cast of Will & Grace, her seemingly encouraging fat shaming and a feud with Jane Fonda.
Kelly did apologize for her blackface comments in both an email to her colleagues and with a tearful apology to her viewers the very next day after the segment aired.
"One of the great parts of sitting in this chair each day is getting to discuss different points of view," she said at the time. "Sometimes I talk and sometimes I listen, and yesterday, I learned. I learned that given the history of blackface being used in awful ways by racists in this country it is not OK for that to be part of any costume, Halloween or otherwise. I have never been a ‘PC’ kind of person but I do understand the value in being sensitive to our history, particularly on race and ethnicity. This past year has been so painful for many people of color, the country feels so divided, and I have no wish to add to that pain and offense. I believe this is a time for more understanding, more love, more sensitivity and honor and I want to be part of that. Thank you for listening and for helping me listen, too.”
ET later learned that although Megyn Kelly Today was canceled last October, she received the entirety of her $69 million contract. Kelly has kept a low profile since her NBC exit, though she was spotted enjoying some time in the Bahamas in April.
Kelly is set to be in the spotlight again thanks to the upcoming drama Bombshell, which is about late Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes' sexual harassment scandal that was exposed by the women who worked at the cable news network, including Kelly. Kelly is portrayed by Charlize Theron, and ET spoke to the Oscar-winning actress earlier this month about Kelly recently saying she was in favor of the casting.
"That's incredibly kind," Theron said. "We try to, as actors and creative storytellers, we try to do all of this with integrity, so that was always where it came from. So for her to feel good about that, I'm sure it can't be easy for her, so I'm incredibly understanding."
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