Since former Fox News star Megyn Kelly took over the third hour of NBC’s morning juggernaut “Today” in September 2017, the program has been mired by ghastly ratings and blamed for dragging down viewership of the fourth hour hosted by Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee.
The show, however, has doggedly persisted and there’s both good news and bad news on the ratings front. Viewership in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 year-old demographic has climbed 20 percent between October (her first full month on the air) and January — from 686,000 to 835,000, according to the most recent available Nielsen data.
And overall viewership has grown 17 percent over the same time period, from 2.286 million total viewers in October to 2.68 million in January.
But Kelly, who was paid $15 million-plus to shake up NBC’s lucrative morning news lineup, continues to underperform compared to her predecessor in the third hour of “Today.”
“Megyn Kelly Today” ratings in the key demo are down nearly 30 percent in January compared to 2017, when Tamron Hall and Al Roker co-hosted the show. Total viewership stood at 3.353 million, 20 percent above what Kelly drew last month. (Hall exited the network last year after she was bumped from anchoring duties.)
A rep for Kelly offered no comment for this story.
Even so, Kelly is trending in the right direction — and the first quarter 2018 ratings look promising so far, with an additional boost expected from the network’s coverage of the Winter Olympics.
Ratings for the first week of February continued the upward momentum, with the show breaking 1 million average daily viewers in the 25-54 year-old demographic.
After a rocky daytime debut, Kelly has seen viewership growth largely on the strength of the lawyer-turned-broadcaster’s focus on the #MeToo movement.
In recent months, Kelly’s hour at “Today” has been dominated by a persistent drumbeat of accusers and their emotional stories of abuse and harassment at the hands of powerful men. While the pivot has yielded obvious fruit, it remains to be seen whether Kelly will be able to diversify her portfolio to grow her viewership further.
11 Women Who Have Left Fox News Shows, From Megyn Kelly to Laurie Dhue (Photos)
Fox News has enhanced the careers of numerous women who have served as hosts. All were hired by Roger Ailes, the former network boss who exited in August 2016 amid a sexual harassment scandal.
Greta Van Susteren -- who had been one of Ailes' most stalwart defenders -- left in early September 2016 after saying that Fox had "not felt like a home" for years.
Laurie Dhue was a familiar presence on Fox in the early 2000s but left the network in 2008. She has reportedly been shopping a tell-all book this year.
Outspoken host Elisabeth Hasselbeck left "The View" to join "Fox & Friends" in 2013, which she exited at the end of 2015.
Andrea Tantaros, former co-host of "The Five," filed a lawsuit saying that Fox News operated like a "sex-fueled, Playboy-Mansion-like cult."
Alisyn Camerota hosted a number of Fox News programs during a 16-year run that ended in 2014. She now hosts "New Day" on CNN.
Rudi Bakhtiar jumped from CNN to Fox News in 2006. She claimed she was sexually harassed by correspondent Brian Wilson and later spoke out against Fox News' culture after the Ailes scandal broke. She now works at Reuters.
Kiran Chetry was a Fox News host from 2001 to 2007. She was reportedly also an aspirant for a role on "Fox & Friends," the network's morning show.
Libertarian commentator Jedediah Bila appeared on Fox's "Outnumbered" and later turned up on ABC's "The View."
Her lawsuit started it all: Former Fox host Gretchen Carlson claims Ailes repeatedly sexually harassed her. Her suit was later settled for a reported $20 million.
Megyn Kelly ended her 12-year run with Fox News in early 2017 in exchange for a weekday show at NBC. She turned down a four-year, $100 million offer to stay with Fox News saying that one of the reasons for her departure was to spend more time with her kids. Kelly said she was among those at Fox News sexually harassed by Ailes.
"Happening Now" anchor Jenna Lee announced that she was leaving the Fox News after working there for 10 years. Lee said she still loves being a journalist and that she has "some really big ideas on how to better serve you in that particular arena" without Fox News.
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The Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly scandals have cast even some old departures in a new light
Fox News has enhanced the careers of numerous women who have served as hosts. All were hired by Roger Ailes, the former network boss who exited in August 2016 amid a sexual harassment scandal.