Megyn Kelly Apologizes for Blackface Comments
by EG
Megyn Kelly might have been able to long for the days when it was fine for white people to dress up in blackface in her old gig at Fox News, but in her new position at NBC, the tolerance for such things is lower. Kelly continues to deal with the fallout for comments she made on Tuesday morning. Read on for details.
Via Variety.
Megyn Kelly hasn’t been shy about turning recent controversies at NBC News into fodder for her morning program at the network. Now NBC News is doing much the same with a blunder she made on her show Tuesday.
Both “NBC Nightly News” and “Today” have aired segments examining statements Kelly made Tuesday on her 9 a.m. program, “Megyn Kelly Today,” about dressing up in blackface or whiteface for Halloween. “What is racist?” she asked a panel that included Jenna Bush Hager, Jacob Soboroff and Melissa Rivers. “You do get in trouble if you are 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 just as long as you were dressing as a character.”
A visibly emotional Kelly opened her broadcast Wednesday with an apology. “I want to open with two words: I’m sorry.” She added that she had no intention of adding to anyone’s pain over a deeply felt issue.
Kelly went on,” The country feels so pided and I have no wish to add to that pain and offense. I believe this is a time for more understanding, more love, more sensitivity and honor. Thank you for listening and for helping me listen too.”
Her remarks come after she released a statement Tuesday. “Today is one of those days where listening carefully to other points of view, including from friends and colleagues, is leading me to rethink my own views,” she wrote. “I’ve never been a ‘pc’ kind of person — but I understand that we do need to be more sensitive in this day and age. Particularly on race and ethnicity issues which, far from being healed, have been exacerbated in our politics over the past year. This is a time for more understanding, love, sensitivity and honor, and I want to be part of that. I look forward to continuing that discussion.”
Get the rest of the story at Variety.
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