Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, who famously bumped heads with President-elect Donald Trump during his election campaign, is leaving the anchor desk at Fox to join NBC News.
NBC confirmed Tuesday that Kelly will become the anchor of a new one hour daytime show airing daily Monday through Friday. She will also anchor a new Sunday evening news show and play an important role in the network’s political programming and big-event coverage.
“Megyn is an exceptional journalist and news anchor, who has had an extraordinary career” said Andrew Lack, Chairman of the NBCUniversal News Group, in a statement. “She’s demonstrated tremendous skill and poise, and we’re lucky to have her.”
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Though financial details of Kelly’s new job were not disclosed, the Wall Street Journal previously reported she was set to earn US$15 million during the final year of her contract with Fox News. Her contract with the network was due to run out this summer.
Kelly became directly involved in the drama of the 2016 U.S. presidential election after serving as moderator at the GOP primary debate. During the live debate Kelly got on Trump’s bad side by questioning him on his history of referring to women as “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals.” After the debate Trump called Kelly a bimbo.
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The next day he commented to CNN that “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.” Many took that as a suggestion by Trump that Kelly was menstruating while moderating, which prompted women to tweet at the presidential hopeful about their periods.
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The two later called a truce during an interview in which Trump praised her for visiting the Trump Tower herself to negotiate the interview, noting he had “great respect” for her.
The news also comes after a year of scandal at Fox News. In July, former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes denied claims of sexual harassment from Kelly, who reportedly told investigators Ailes had sexually harassed her when she was a reporter at Fox 10 years ago.
Former Fox anchor, Gretchen Carlson, made similar allegations in a lawsuit, stating Ailes had forced her out following a meeting where he told her that “you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago.”
In a Facebook post Tuesday, Kelly said she is delighted to be joining the team at NBC News.
“Over a dozen years ago I started at Fox News in a job that would change my life. Now, I have decided to end my time at FNC, incredibly enriched for the experiences I’ve had,” she wrote.
“I remain deeply grateful to Fox News, to Rupert, Lachlan and James Murdoch, and especially to all of the FNC viewers, who have taught me so much about what really matters. More to come soon.”
Before her career in news, Kelly practiced law as a corporate litigator. She earned a B.A. with honors in Political Science from Syracuse University and a J.D. with honors from Albany Law School.
– With files from Tania Kout and The Associated Press
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