As we discussed yesterday, Megyn Kelly is in hot water for her forthcoming interview with conspiracy lunatic Alex Jones. Megyn’s new magazine show, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, has already debuted to tepid reviews and a lot of criticism for how she conducts herself. The Alex Jones interview seems to be an early “bridge too far” for many people. Jones says tons of crazy sh-t about lots of different things, but he’s especially reviled these days for promoting a conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook massacre was a false-flag operation and that no children were actually murdered. Jones’ followers actually believe him, and they’ve harassed Sandy Hook parents and victims in real life.
Well, advertisers for Sunday Night have been dropping like flies. NBC News Chairman Andy Lack is backing Megyn right now (probably because they’ve paid her so much money), saying that the advertisers will come back and it’s to be expected when covering controversial subjects. Megyn was also fired from her hosting job for the Sandy Hook Promise Champions Gala. She issued a statement about it, saying:
“I understand and respect the decision of the event organizers but I’m of course disappointed that I won’t be there to support them on Wednesday night. I find Alex Jones’s suggestion that Sandy Hook was ‘a hoax’ as personally revolting as every other rational person does. It left me, and many other Americans, asking the very question that prompted this interview: how does Jones, who traffics in these outrageous conspiracy theories, have the respect of the president of the United States and a growing audience of millions?”
“President Trump, by praising and citing him, appearing on his show, and giving him White House press credentials, has helped elevate Jones, to the alarm of many. Our goal in sitting down with him was to shine a light — as journalists are supposed to do — on this influential figure, and yes — to discuss the considerable falsehoods he has promoted with near impunity.”
As I said yesterday, I’m not unsympathetic to this reasoning, that Alex Jones is a worthwhile interview subject or topic of news coverage because he peddles his unhinged conspiracy theories and important people – like the current president – cite Jones as a news source. The thing is, Megyn Kelly is not the one to do it. If 60 Minutes did an exposé, the reaction might have been different. If Lester Holt did the interview, it might have been different. Because it was mediocre faux-journalist Megyn Kelly, sitting there, smirking at Alex Jones… that’s part of the reason why people are upset. It’s being handled the wrong way. According to Page Six – the NY Post LOVES to bitch about NBC – the NBC News division is holding “crisis meetings” about the interview. Many are arguing that they just need to pull the piece.
In case you want to know more about Alex Jones’ claims specifically about Sandy Hook, Media Matters did a piece documenting what he’s said, on air, about the massacre – go here.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I agree that she is entirely the wrong person to do this interview. It needed to be conducted by someone who could point out the illogical arguments while maintaining objectivity. NBC made a huge mistake by hiring her.
Sadly they are pairing her with everything I vacuumed up from under my rug and put in the compost bin.
What were NBC and Kelly thinking when they released that picture of her and Jones in a car looking like they were on their way to a fun road trip?!? That is not the image of a hard hitting expose… looked more like she was enjoying the company. Or an ad for sunglasses.
This image, the promo clip and her lame softball Putin interview are why people are pissed and fearful that this interview would serve to humanize this monster.
MTE. By using that smirks and sunglasses shot, they completely torpedoed their claim that this is some kind of serious attempt to show Jones for the pathetic liar that he is.
I don’t have a problem with doing an expose on Jones, where they show how ridiculous his claims are and what losers his followers are. But under no circumstances should they have given him an interview platform to either espouse his nonsense, or make excuses for it. Nope.
Yeah, that jumped out at me, too. Reminds me of when a reporter in Chicago did an interview with a guy whose wife was missing under shady circumstances, and she was in a swimsuit hanging out with him and her kids. She was fired.
The “shine a light” on monsters like Jones is not a sound rationale here. They don’t deserved to be humanized, as you said.
They should pull the interview. And NBC never should have hired Megyn in the first place. Her “journalism” skills are atrocious.
+1000. I am still utterly buffled about this decision. She is such a nothing-Barbie.
Ha, “journalist”. I just remember her gross interview with Trump where she was practically flirting with him, after the “blood coming out of eyeballs” comment. She’s shameless.
I agree. Kelly is not what I’d call a hard-hitting journalist and considering the talent on MSNBC, like Maddow, Hayes, O’Donnell etc., she’s just doesn’t fit. She’s a lightweight Barbie playing at being a reporter. Also, because of her previous employer, she’ll always have the stench of Fox News on her. No credibility at all IMO.
Yes I do not get what they are thinking with her at all. Unless they think Fox viewers will switch, but I know a few and they will be there until the bitter end.
Andy Lack seriously needs to be fired. I really want to know what his mindset is for bringing in all the leftovers from the Foxnews sinking ship to MSNBC and NBC. MSNBC is a center slightly progressive network and it should stay that way. There are more than enough places that the right wingers can go to to be special snowflakes. Us left-leaning snowflakes were just fine without them.
Agree about Lack. This show has been on the air for only 2 weeks and was already a bomb and now this is happening.
Between this and the leaking of him trying his damnest to get rid of Lawrence O’Donnell
( the blowback on that was huge), the board will have to be taking a look at him. And that arrogant answer about advitisers coming back, yeah, they might stay away for spite.
Agree. The fact that Rachel Maddow and Megyn Kelly are on the same network baffles the mind.
Where’s your White Santa now, Megyn?
If this thing gets cancelled, she’ll play victim of the liberal media even it that means going against her boss. She’s got Fox running through her veins.
And I LOVE these pictures of her, they’re so unflattering.
Hi there! Are you inside my head? I only skimmed the article because I was so distracted by that first pic. She’s a mess.
Terrible nose job.
And she took a promotional Selfie with him, both in their sunglasses looking like the @$$es they are. I just can’t with her and certainly not with him. As you said, if this was an investigative expose, by a serious journalist, then maybe. However, I think Megyn, along with so much of the world is concerned with hearing “the other side” that we no longer have a grasp on what’s the reasonable other side. During the election, a conservative commentator said it best about HRC: “I think she’s wrong, but she’s wrong within the right bounds.”
You don’t have to entertain EVERY opinion n on the political spectrum. Everyone is free to have their opinion, however, they’re not entitled to its validity.
Alex Jones doesn’t have an opinion on Sandy Hook. He has lies. There’s no need to validate him (I realize you aren’t advocating that, of course; I’m just saying it anyway.)
That selfie was the worst! She is disgusting and he is not even worth mentioning.
I am embarrassed that this woman has a law degree.
I’m embarrassed that people consider her a “journalist,” a term some of us have and continue to wear with honor.
She’s using the old Fox strategy of promoting terrible people through disingenuous faux journalism and her NBC corporate perceived sex appeal. Yuck. Just not journalism in any way.
You know what, now that dear Megyn is on NBC pulling all the shit that she did on Faux News maybe some on the left are gonna give up on her and her ridiculous act.
They are both Disgusting Pieces of S*t, there , i said it.. She is just the Ivanka, polished turd Version of him… and So Is NBC, There was aq CALCULATION about the audience she’d bring and that is why they got her, The fact NBC wants to cater to that audience is any way is beyond the pale to me, and I will come and drag their asses to kingdom Come every day that ends in Y
Sign me up for a$$ dragging! I have no love for NBC ever since they offered my BFF a demotion or a severance package after she worked herself to the bone for years and won MULTIPLE Emmy awards for executive producing their Olympics coverage. She took the severance and never looked back. But it pisses me off that NBC turns around and pays millions to an untalented partisan hack so they can pander to the deplorables.
NBC did the exact same thing to my last husband after a 30 + year career as a news writer there. I won’t watch them…ever.
Same shit, different network.
Isn’t this the same “journalist” who gave Maw and Paw Dugger a blatantly sympathetic platform to make excuses for their disgusting pedophile son?
What in holy hell was NBC thinking ?
i think it’s important to let haters speak and they can bring their hate speech on a platform and then be viscerally destroyed by a real journalist with real logic/reasoning argumentation. Someone who breaks down the reasoning of these bigots. Someone smart who has done his/her homework who handle this ignorance with class not just “I’m a celebrity that wants controversy”. it will be a win for both parties. (I’m typing this as I am watching the shooting in Alexandria). G.d do we live in a violent world.
I was sitting her thinking, uh uh, some things are just so far beyond all rationality and human decency that they don’t deserve to be heard. Then I read your post, and logic is prevailing. Just barely, though.
Because this guy is such an irredeemable piece of shit, surpassed in vicious douchebaggery only by the dumbasses who actually listen to the word vomit that spews out of his face.
Appealing to logic with the kind of conspiracy theory crowd this guy draws doesn’t work. Any attempt to dismantle their deliberate ignorance just makes you part of the crooked system. It’s an unbroken circle of stupid, and reason doesn’t stand much of a chance.
But you’re right. We’ll never beat the ignorant liars by becoming them.
but we should not stoop to their low level. We should fight them with civilized words and break them down even if they don’t stray from their ignorance. They are a few ex KKK members that return to the path of “I finally see the light” so even one slight chance is worth to grab. We have nothing to fear if we get constructive in opposing these bigots. Because damn if we protest their free speech damn if we don’t. I rather sit at the table with a hater and have a talk with him/her even if at the end of the day they don’t change.
This guy has his own show where he gets to spew whatever vile things come into his head. There is no justification for giving him more space to do so and a wider audience. If she truly wanted to “shine a light” there are many approaches she could have taken that would not involve gussying him up for prime time.
And I can’t even with the utter disrespect she and NBC are showing to the Sandy Hook families and others who have been hurt by this troll’s vicious lies.
This is a network that still caters to the likes of Matt Lauer. Mr. Smug. I don’t watch their so called news shows anymore.
This despicable man doesn’t deserve a platform. How dare he call himself a truther. He’s a cold-hearted conspiracy theorist. They believe nothing unless it is proved to them. The Sandy Hook parents should take turns tar and feathering him, especially the father whom Jones claims was laughing. Where were the funerals he asks, why aren’t we privy to viewing the bullet ridden bodies. Hell awaits him. Yep, he is a friend of trump, but that is her reasoning?? She got her feelings hurt when she spoke up against trump and he blasted her, so this now makes her a credible journalist. No. She belongs at the blondes only table at Fox where she can tell the audience Jesus is white and dems are bad. She’s so out of her league, it’s ridiculous. She definitely has a shelf life, and the expiration date is looming. As for the asshat Jones, he can continue to spew his hate on his own show. Done
Let the first amendment reign. The viewers can make up their minds if they believe the Info Wars founder or not. Have some confidence in your viewers MSNBC and remeber you didn’t hire an ex-Fox news anchor to play it safe.
Since a lot of the Alt-Right watches Jones on Info Wars, the interview will be useful for viewers who don’t agree with him by providing insight into an influential corner of the electorate and into Steve Banon who is advising Trump.
Let’s all be adults here and resist the trend to shout down voices with whom we disagree. It is bad for democracy.
I am deeply disturbed by this trend. It started with the far left and now, the Alt-Right has adopted it. The Shakespeare in the park play with a Trump Julius Caesar has had sponsors pull out due to Alt-Right campaigning. So now we have both sides trying to silence each other.
The first amendment does not apply to private speech… And I disagree. By giving a serious platform to psychos or blatant and disgusting click baiters like Jones and Mylo Y., we legitimize their views. We say, “yes, there is something to debate about here,” rather than, “this view is disgusting/ridiculous and we won’t waste our and everyone else’s time by airing it.” There can be no positive value in legitimizing these views. People who believe them are not going to change their minds. People who think they are ridiculous will continue thinking they are ridiculous. It’s a classic ratings tactic – you want someone who arouses strong feelings, someone people either 100% agree with or 100% disagree with – someone polarizing. That’s not journalism and it isn’t good for our democracy, it’s cheap ratings bait, soap opera script, and I hope this trend of not allowing disgusting and crazy people a legitimate platform to air out their disgusting and crazy views continues. Yes, I understand that there is some subjectivity in what is disgusting and crazy, but there has to be a point when simple human decency overrides this desire for ratings. Asking NBC to pull the interview, IMO, is this simple human decency.
Disagree! The 1st amendment is reigning. He has a show amd can say whatever he wants on his show without being silenced as he would in Russia, Saudi Arabia etc.
What we CAN’T do is provide validation to someone who spews lies. This isn’t McConnell or Ryan who we just disagree with. This man spews nothing but straight lies about facts. He will be his own undoing like the rest of them.
If the question is why is he given legitimacy, you ask the people giving him legitimacy not the loon getting the attention. Ask the President and his press team for answers and psychologists and media experts why people like this are now gaining legitimacy! It’s just ratings bait and I hope she gets dropped.
And what is more heartbreaking, is that this is airing on Father’s Day. I mean, what the hell NBC.
How anyone think it’s a good idea to interview Alex Jones when you’re supposed to host a Sandy Hook Gala is beyond me. As a journalist who works in media, I disagree with the idea that he’s a worthy piece of news as an interviewee. Not everyone deserves the time and space to spout nonsense on a public platform, we have enough of that with Trump now. They only thought of him because they knew he’d bring ratings and social media attention. Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson.
Theyre both batshit crazy and neither is capable of validating anything the other says. She’s in Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone’s vault territory now. Good riddance.
Anyone has a right to make a show where they claim water is dry, bullets aren’t real, earth is the 6th planet from the sun…. Doesn’t mean they should get their buffoonery validated on national news.
Megyn Kelly 1.0- failed pageant girl
Megyn Kelly 2.0 – lawyer
Megyn Kelly 3.0 – racist hypocrite on Faux
Megyn Kelly 4.0 – ‘journalist’
IIRC, Megyn Kelly’s rating have been falling steadily–and last week were lower than a 60 minutes rerun. I’m inclined to say, let the show run, and let’s see if we can set a new record for low ratings.
The problem I see with trying to argue logically with these folks is that they are not logical. They won’t look at a logical argument. They “know what they know” and refuse to listen to anything else. And even if, by some miracle, you manage to convince one or two, you have to face the fact that you have also legitimized the lies for a lot of people, and possibly convinced even more that they must be true–because it was on television. That tradeoff is not worth it, to me.
I don’t see this as a first amendment issue. Alex Jones is not being silenced–he still has any number of channels to post his message. He doesn’t deserve the boost a national network pseudo-news interview will give him. This is tabloid television. I would rather be knitting, and I HATE knitting.
Have no fear about Megyn’s Alex Jones interview. It’s been SO over-edited that Jones’ views have been squelched and dumbed-down to make him seem like a Neanderthal. But Jones’ Infowars has dissected all of this so Jones looks to be what he is — Megyn’s and NBC’s victim …and superior. Overall, he comes out looking 10X the authoritative, honest newsman of anyone on NBC or MSNBC