Lachlan Murdoch pushes back on speculation of Megyn Kelly returning to Fox
Lachlan Murdoch, the CEO of 21st Century Fox, on Thursday sought to quash speculation that former network host Megyn Kelly might be returning to Fox.
“I’m a big fan of Megyn’s,” Murdoch said at an event in New York, according to CNBC. “I like her a lot. We didn’t want her to leave Fox when she did.”
{mosads}”Having said that, I’m very happy with our current lineup on Fox, and we won’t be making any changes there,” he added.
Fox made a similar statement last week, saying in a statement to The Hill, “We are extremely happy with our entire lineup.”
Murdoch added that he hopes Kelly returns to media “because she’s very talented.”
NBC News canceled Kelly’s show last week after she faced widespread criticism, including from her colleagues, over remarks she made about wearing blackface during Halloween.
Kelly left Fox amid mounting tension, partially over her public sexual harassment allegations against former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes.
Kelly also raised eyebrows over a 2013 segment on Fox where she insisted Jesus and Santa Claus were both white.
The former NBC host’s contract was set to last until 2020, resulting in a lengthy negotiating process over the terms of her exit.
Kelly ultimately apologized last week after facing criticism over her comments. Speaking to an all-white panel on her program last week, Kelly questioned whether the use of blackface on Halloween is racist
“But what is racist?” Kelly said. “You truly do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface at Halloween or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween.”
“Back when I was a kid, that was OK, as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character,” she continued.
In her apology, Kelly noted that she has never been a “politically correct” person but said the resulting backlash over her remarks helped her reassess what she said.
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