It is commonly believed that a strength that goes too far can become a weakness. Megyn Kelly is well known for her brash, “take no prisoners,” opinionated approach. But on her own Halloween show, she didn’t do her homework enough to know the history of blackface.
She asked, “What is racist? Do you get in trouble if you’re a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween? Back when I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up as a character.”
Photo Courtesy of EW.com
Sorry Didn’t Cut it
“I want to begin with two words: I’m sorry. 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.”
She then attempted damage control, inviting African Americans Roland Martin and PBS political commentator Amy Holmes to speak with and educate her viewers and herself about the history behind blackface.
But after the controversy, an NBC spokesperson told USA TODAY, “Megyn Kelly Today is not returning.”
The news of Megyn Kelly Today being taken off air completely is not entirely a surprise. Viewership went down 13% with Ms. Kelly as host. This was simply the last straw for NBC.
Sadly, Megyn Kelly was the ghost of this Halloween.