A Connecticut NBC station won’t air Megyn Kelly’s interview with InfoWars host Alex Jones on Sunday night, according to a new report.
WVIT, the Connecticut station that includes Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown as part of its market, is refusing to air Sunday’s episode of “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly,” AdAge’s TVNewser reported Friday, citing an internal memo.
“Over the last few days, we have listened intently to Sandy Hook parents, our viewers and importantly, to you. We have considered the deep emotions from the wounds of that day that have yet to heal,” said an internal WVIT memo obtained by TVNewser.
{mosads}“Because those wounds are understandably still so raw, we have decided not to air this week’s episode of Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly.”
Kelly and NBC have faced criticism for the interview since Kelly aired a preview of it last week. The former Fox News host was removed from hosting a gala for the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation following backlash over the interview.
Jones, a controversial host on InfoWars.com and a founder of the site, had claimed that the 2012 shooting that left 20 children and six adults in Sandy Hook dead was a hoax.
The executive producer of Kelly’s Sunday night show, Liz Cole, defended the decision to air the interview earlier this week, saying Jones is “worthy of examination.”
“He’s a controversial figure for sure, but as journalists it’s our job to interview newsmakers and people of influence no matter how abhorrent their views may be,” Cole told CNN.
“He is someone who is worthy of examination, by sitting down with him, there’s value in that.”