NBC told USA TODAY that "Megyn Kelly Today" would air reruns for the rest of the week as rumors swirled her time on the NBC morning show is coming to an end.
Her absence came two days after she angered "Today" viewers and NBC colleagues by defending blackface Halloween costumes. Her Wednesday episode largely centered on her on-air apology for the controversy.
A source at the show confirms to USA TODAY there's an expectation that her hour of the "Today" show will be canceled today.
During a round-table discussion on Tuesday, Kelly seemingly defended "blackface" and "white face" for the October holiday because it was "OK when I was a kid as long as you were dressing like a character.”
At the top of Wednesday's show, she said, "I want to begin with two words: I'm sorry," she said at the top of Wednesday morning's show. "You may have heard that yesterday we had a conversation about political correctness and Halloween costumes. ... I defended the idea (of blackface), saying that as long it was respectful and part of a Halloween costume, that it seemed OK. Well, I was wrong, and I am sorry."
On Wednesday night, The Hollywood Reporter and Wall Street Journal reported Kelly's exit from the morning show is imminent, noting that she'd parted ways with her agent, who also represents her boss at NBC News, Noah Oppenheim.
USA TODAY has reached out to Kelly, NBC and the "Today" show for comment.
A staff meeting was announced for 10:15 a.m. EDT Thursday to discuss the show's future (or lack thereof).
In January 2017, Kelly exited Fox News after more than a decade and announced she was headed to NBC, where she signed a contract estimated to be worth $20 million per year. After a showcase first interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in which he claimed that Jews, Ukrainians and Tatars (groups oppressed by the Soviet Union and Russia) may have meddled in the 2016 U.S. election instead of his government, she came under fire for a proposed interview with "InfoWars" host Alex Jones.
On Sept. 25 of that year, she debuted in the 9 a.m. hour, traditionally a soft-news time period, thought to be an odd fit for the adversarial former corporate defense attorney who made her name at Fox News discussing politics in prime time. She also moderated one of the Republican primary debates, where she asked then-candidate Donald Trump about calling women names, prompting his infamous quote that she had "had blood coming out of her wherever."
After that bruising presidential election, it wasn't surprising to hear Kelly announce, "I'm kind of done with politics." She said she was ready to take on lighter news at NBC.
She briefly floundered with that soft-news focus before finding more of a purpose with the eruption of the #MeToo movement. The barrage of sexual-harassment news hit especially close home for NBC due to the Matt Lauer sexual-misconduct scandal following his November 2017 ouster.
Kelly, who wrote in her book "Settle for More" that she was harassed by former Fox news chairman Roger Ailes, interviewed one of Lauer's accusers as well as women who made allegations against entrepreneur and philanthropist Russell Simmons.
Sometimes, her Fox News baggage still trailed her and jokes that might have flown at the conservative network landed with a thud at NBC. She raised eyebrows her very first week when, during an episode promoting the return of "Will & Grace," she asked a fan if he became both a lawyer and gay because of the sitcom, seemingly alluding to a belief held by some that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice.
An interview with Jane Fonda turned testy when Kelly brought up plastic surgery, prompting the actress to raise an eyebrow and ask, "We really want to talk about that now?" This fall, in an interview with Us Weekly about her show's first year, Kelly maintained that Fonda's hostility had more to do with her previous job than her sensitivity about plastic surgery.
“I think the issue was somebody who used to work at Fox News was asking it of her that particular day,” she explained. “There’s nothing I can do about that. I know some people don’t like Fox News, and some people don’t like me and that’s OK.”
NBC News Chairman Andy Lack discussed her latest on-air controversy with staffers Wednesday at a previously scheduled town hall meeting.
“I assume all of you by now have seen the remarks that (Megyn Kelly) made on her show yesterday about Halloween and blackface," he said, according to transcripts obtained by Variety and The Daily Beast. "There is no other way to put this but I condemn those remarks, there is no place on our air or in this workplace for them. Very unfortunate."
He continued, “As we go forward, my highest priority remains, and as we sort through this with Megyn, let there be no doubt that this is a workplace in which you need to be proud and in which we respect each other in all the ways we know is foundational to who we are.”
This story is developing.
Contributing: Gary Levin