The PyeongChang Winter Olympics start next week, February 9th. Are you looking forward to them? I am. You know why? Because it feels like everything else sort of shuts down for a few weeks while we watch bobsledding and figure skating. The political world will slow down, hopefully, and the gossip world might slow down too, even though we’re in the middle of the Oscar season. That’s why all of the awards shows were so front-loaded this year too – there are no major awards shows in February because of the Olympics (except the BAFTAs, which come on February 18th).
Anyway, the Olympics will be airing on NBC and NBC-affiliated channels (MSNBC, NBC Sports, Bravo probably) and many of NBC’s best anchors and sports journalists will travel to South Korea to cover everything. Megyn Kelly is not going though. Matt Lauer was supposed to go, but when he was fired, NBC rehired Katie Couric to anchor their Olympic coverage. They didn’t ask Megyn Kelly and now she’s PISSED.
Megyn Kelly “threw an Olympic fit” when NBC offered the job of anchoring next month’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony to Katie Couric, sources exclusively told Page Six. Television insiders say that Kelly insisted, when signing her $23 million-a-year contract with NBC last spring, that she could not be forced to do special events such as the winter games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, which start airing on the Peacock Network on Feb. 9.
But once “Today” vet Matt Lauer — who usually helmed special coverage, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — was ousted in November over sexual misconduct allegations, Kelly assumed she was next in line for the plum assignments.
“She thought she had it all played out perfectly, by saying ‘no’ before the Matt Lauer scandal. [The network was] stupid enough to put in her contract that she could say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ ”
But we’re told that after execs instead gave the gig to Couric — who co-hosted the “Today” show with Lauer from 1997 to 2006, at which point she left the network — Kelly wanted to have it on principle. “[Kelly] complained to her staff, she complained to her agent, so that [NBC News chairman Andrew Lack] would hear about the fact that she was unhappy, but he didn’t care.”
The source added that Lack — who originally signed Kelly to the network amid much fanfare in January 2017, starting with “Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly” in June — has finally realized she is “a diva” and that “she’s not going to be part of the NBC News . . . inner circle.”
But an NBC News insider told us that there’s “zero truth” to this, adding that it’s “laughable since [the opening ceremony is] the least desirable gig in broadcasting, given the inevitable brutal reviews.” The insider also disputed that Lack — the man who personally fired Lauer — thinks that Kelly is a “diva,” insisting that “no one at NBC has ever heard him ever use the word ‘diva’ about anyone.” NBC News and reps for Kelly declined to comment.
I friggin’ love how carefully worded this is: “no one at NBC has ever heard him ever use the word ‘diva’ about anyone.” Sure, he hasn’t CALLED her a DIVA. He probably called her an overpriced Fox-bot, a nasty white supremacist, an a–hole lacking any on-screen warmth or likeability. But no, he didn’t call her a diva. Oh, well NBC. You made your bed with Megyn Kelly.
Photos courtesy of WENN/NBC.
I don’t know if it will ever cease to be hilarious how badly this NBC gig is going for Megyn.
And I don’t know what’s more ridiculous – Megyn thinking that she’s a core part of a news organization, or Andy Lack thinking that he makes good personnel decisions or judgement in general.
As soon as I heard this story the image and voice of Nelson from the Simpsons came into my head. *Turns and points at Megyn* “Ha ha”
Thank you! Why on earth does Megyn Kelly feel so special n entitled? Why is she getting paid the most? Why does she assume she’s up for the gig when she was last fired?
The mind reels.
Last hired, my bad.
Yes, the public humiliation is delicious. She is just such a horrible pick for this job.
Megyn Kelly has to be the biggest colossal failure & misstep (and that’s sayin something ) NBC has made. Kelly would do well to fly under the radar and hope nobody notices her overpaid a$$….
Watched her a couple of times here in Australia: zero warmth towards guests and studio audience, awkward in interviews, barely competent. I imagine they’ll get rid of her when her contract is up.
NBC deserves all of this. They promoted a predator for decades. I hope their ratings tank and Kelly has to crawl back to Fox News when this debacle ends.
Andy Lack was the one who sided with Lauer, gave him all that power within the news organization, and thought Lauer was the key player. AND he hired Megyn Kelly. He officially has no business being in charge of anything.
Lack is lonnnng overdue to be canned.
Megyn Kelly has been a dud, which everyone but NBC knew she would be.
Hahahahah
Stay vigilant during the Olympics y’all!! Congress/Trump know the media will be distracted and I would put money on them quietly pulling some BS while the media is looking the other way.
We need to shout this out, @Stripe!! STAY VIGILANT DURING THE OLYMPICS!!! Because what you say is truth.
As mad eye moody said in Harry Potter, “constant vigilance.” The parallels are staggering.
Yes. And I am now worried about shooting off my buttock should I carelessly tuck my wand into my back jeans pocket.
Exactly. I read, “The political world will slow down…” and I thought, “Naïf!”
Yes, good reminder!
Government is only funded to February 8. Meanwhile, Republicans are off on a retreat instead of working on the budget and Democrats will go on a retreat late next week. I don’t understand why they aren’t doing their retreats at the same time or why they didn’t cancel the retreats when they set their new budget deadline. So, probably a shutdown during the Olympics.
Oh, poor Megyn. Maybe she should try some Home Alone type shenanigans while everyone else is out at the Olympics?
I hope NBC cuts their losses with her sooner rather than later. Since they’ve got Couric back in the fold, why not give her Megyn’s hour? She was a popular anchor and I think would draw a better audience.
I’m looking forward to her downfall. Life is like the Survivor series (as well as a box of chocolates). The minute someone thinks they’re in control, they’re blindsided by an ousting. This chica is paid a disgusting amount for terrible work. It’s a crime.
Twenty! Three!Million! Per!Year!
If true, absolutely unbelievable. Whomever agreed to that outrageous salary should be fired and banned from the industry. She is not worth a tenth of that.
#mouth agape
Ugh..I know. That number made me kind of nauseous.
You are so right! NBC would have to move that decimal point way over to about 0.23 to find what I think she’s been worth.
I hope she complains herself out of a job. Peace out, overpriced Fox bot.
I don’t even have tv (I’m a Hulu girl lol) but I caught her in my doctor’s office the other morning and omfg you guys are right (not that I doubted) she is AWFUL.
Every second is cringe-worthy right? I love my streaming channels. I honestly don’t know how we lived without choices or a la cart viewing.
I wonder how long she has left on NBC? She’s awful and she’s doing badly in the ratings. Iy can’t be too long before she’s doing news via a blog like Bill O’Brien.
On a fun note, my coworker is a ski instructor on the side and headed out there this past weekend as one of the mountain maintenance volunteers. She even bought a giant, rhinestone American flag pendant to wear around her scarf because she’s ridiculous.
So SOMEBODY is having a good time in South Korea. Just not you, Megyn.
I happened to have on NBC national news after the SOTU address (which I couldn’t watch or listen to because Orange Twitler makes me vomit in my mouth) and caught a bit of their coverage after the address was over. It was Megyn, Lester Holt and Chuck Todd (a very restrained Chuck Todd). Megyn was at her most Fox Bot but she cracked me up with her facial expressions about Trumpito’s address. She’s got such a huge case of resting bitch face but lent absolutely nothing to the discussion – which you would think she would…shine?
I then turned to CNN and lasted about 30 seconds because the asshole Rethugs they get on that network are The Worst. All the yelling and cutting people off drives me fucking nuts. When one of those Dicks cut off Van Jones I turned to my savior network MSNBC where I watched Brian Williams, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence o’Donnell, Chris Matthews (who drives me nuts) and Nicole Wallace I think. I liked that Brian let Rachel (preeminent political bad ass of all time) run the show and I actually laughed several times because THEY were all laughing. The republican they got to comment, Steve Schmidt, was terrific. And then Chuck Todd showed up (and I leaned over to my sister and said “wait for it…Chuck’s going to tell us how he really feels”) and let it all hang out.
I recorded Morning Joe but caught a little bit of what Joe had to say on the way into work and he was saying that he was speaking to the Republicans who still watch Morning Joe – which he revealed was his family (!) and the people from the Baptist Church from Pensacola, Florida – that the economic growth that Dump loves talking about is strictly as a result from the policies that Obama put into place and showed graphics to represent the facts. I also know Mika’s brother is a neo con and so they always have interesting holiday gatherings. It’s sort of comforting that it’s not only MY family that’s completely fucked up with their steady diet of fucking Fuck News. Anyway, I love MSNBC and I hate Drumpf a little more each day.
I do love the screenshots you choose lol.
I was watching Great News last week and it occurred to me that Tina Fey and this trick resemble each other.
Also, NBC needs to get rid of her.
Why would anyone want her doing anything at the Olympics? The Olympic commentators’ jobs are to be “rah rah rah” “heartbreak and success” “inspirational story.” She is not going to be able to do any of those things because she has no ability to empathize or evoke positive emotion. She is all snideness and interrogation. She would be pillorying each athlete with whose political views she does not agree and complaining if they didn’t stand in just the exact right patriotic position for the anthem/flag.
I’m surprised NBC hired Katie. Wonder why they didn’t just stay in-house. I don’t think Megyn wants to do it. She just wanted to be asked. She thought she was going to be top dog and nobody cares about her.
She looks like grown up version of Taylor Swift.
I love that Lesley Jones is the Special Correspondent for the Olympics and that MK won’t be anywhere near the broadcast.
This woman is trying to make a statement about how radical and ball busting she is but nobody is into her. Also has anyone ever looked her directly in the face? She has the scariest most demonic devil baby eyes I have ever seen. I’m afraid that if I look directly at her I might evaporate.