Megyn Kelly opened her hour of the Today show on Wednesday, November 29, by addressing the news that her colleague Matt Lauer was fired after NBC News received a “detailed complaint” about alleged sexual misconduct in the workplace.
“This one does hit close to home,” Kelly, 47, said at the top of Megyn Kelly Today soon after the news broke. “I, too, have known Matt for a long time. He has been a friend, and kind and supportive to me and my transition to NBC News. I see the anguish on my colleagues’ faces. But when this happens, what we don’t see is the pain on the faces of those who’ve found the courage to come forward. And that is a terrifying thing to do.”
The former Fox News host continued, “We don’t see the career opportunities women lose because of sexual harassment or the intense stress it causes a woman dealing with it when she comes to work each day. I am thinking of those women this morning and hoping they are OK. The days to come will not be easy. We are in the middle of a sea change in this country, an empowerment revolution in which women who, for years, have felt they had no choice but to simply deal with being harassed at work are starting to picture another reality, to feel that change is within their grasp.”
Kelly then addressed the mounting allegations that have come out in recent months against a slew of journalists, producers, actors and more. “As painful as this moment is for so many here at NBC, Today, at CBS earlier this month, at Fox News over the last year, in Hollywood this fall, it is a sign of progress of women finding their voices, their courage, and of the erosion of a shameful power imbalance that has been in place for far too long,” she said.
“I have been at another news channel where this happened, as you know,” Kelly continued. “My experience is a news organization is bigger than any one person. They all face challenges. They all stumble. But the good ones stay standing and forge forward, fulfilling their core mission: journalism.”
The news of Lauer’s termination was first announced on the Today show by a visibly emotional Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. Guthrie, 45, told viewers, “We are heartbroken.” The longtime Today cohost, 59, has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
