Friday, October 26, 2018

Kelly Blacklisted for Blackface Comment



Megyn Kelly fell into the perfect trap. She spoke off the cuff—asking a question she should have known the answer to--- on her NBC talk show this week….and for it….she’s paying dearly.

For those of you who aren’t aware of her----or her controversial comments…Kelly is a 47-year-old TV talk host who put up strong viewership numbers on Fox News before parlaying her fame into a multi-million dollar contract with NBC.

This past Tuesday morning, she questioned whether wearing blackface as a part of a Halloween costume was a racist act during a segment of her show. She and the all-white panel were discussing college campus attempts to discourage inappropriate and offensive costumes. She certainly demonstrated a lack of understanding where we are as a society when she asked if wearing blackface was truly an issue if you were dressed as a character?

The answer is yes. Today, blackface is considered racist….no matter how you parse it.  She should have known that.

But what happened next is becoming all too prevalent. Social media whipped up such a frenzy that her attempt to apologize on Wednesday’s show was too little, too late. So, NBC is running re-runs of her show.

The swiftness of the network’s moves make me believe there is probably more going on here… Her ratings were not good. People magazine reports she was on the verge of being cancelled.

So maybe NBC didn’t want to hear her tearful apology. Her fate was sealed as much by her lack of popularity as her lack of societal sophistication.

Add another to a growing list of TV giants mowed down by their own words or actions. Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, Bill O’Reilly, Charlie Rose…and now…Megyn Kelly.

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