Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Friday 15 december 2017
Megyn Kelly takes on sexual

misconduct topic, finds audience

By DAVID BAUDER of dogged about staying different.
AP Media Writer on it.” “There’s this notion that
NEW YORK (AP) — Three With the #metoo move- you’ve been lured into an
months ago the idea that ment exploding, she office or a restaurant with
Megyn Kelly would make found an issue that reso- the expectation of some-
news this week about nated. thing good happening
President Donald Trump “It was synergistic,” she in your career, some-
seemed unthinkable, but said. “It was working for thing you’ve earned,
it illustrates her journey in the women. and there’s this moment

In this Sept. 21, 2017 file photo, Megyn Kelly poses on the establishing her NBC show It was working for me. when a switch flips and
set of her new show, “Megyn Kelly Today” at NBC Studios in as a destination for a na- It was working for the you realize, ‘oh my God,
New York. tional discussion about show.” this is about getting in my
pants,’” she said.
Associated Press sexual misconduct. “Megyn Kelly Today” isn’t
Kelly interviewed four yet a home run, trailing in “This isn’t about being
women who accused its time slot to “Live with recognized for my hard
Trump of inappropriate Kelly and Ryan.” Yet its work. This is a come-on or,
behavior. direction is positive: the in reference to Weinstein,
In recent weeks, she’s show averaged 2.29 mil- this is an assault. Without
spoken with accusers of lion viewers in October being too dramatic, it’s
Harvey Weinstein, Brett and 2.67 million in De- the death of a dream in
Ratner, Bill O’Reilly, Roy cember so far, the Nielsen a moment that most men
Moore and Mark Hal- company said. don’t understand when
perin, as well as women Monday’s show with they think about harass-
who allege they were ha- Trump accusers had more ment.”
rassed on Capitol Hill. than 2.9 million viewers, Kelly took on former Fox
“Megyn Kelly Today” now one of her biggest audi- colleague O’Reilly to
has a more substantive ences despite not being specifically refute some
edge and viewers have carried in New York be- statements he had made
responded. Time maga- cause of news coverage about cases against him,
zine, which honored “The of the subway bomb at- and bluntly discussed
Silence Breakers” as its tack. Matt Lauer on the day
Person of the Year, cited And it was interesting that the “Today” host’s firing
Kelly as its leader in the when veteran “Live with for misconduct was an-
entertainment field. Kelly and Ryan” producer nounced.Yet it’s not a
“I feel like I’m in a good Michael Gelman talked man hater’s club. Kelly’s
place right now and so is to The New York Times recent conversation with
the show,” she said. “It’s about his show’s light- actor Alec Baldwin tran-
starting to gel.” er fare, he mentioned scended the usual Hol-
Introduced with fanfare “counterprogramming lywood chat when the
in September, the show the more depressing parts topic was discussed. She
initially seemed lost. Ex- of life” elsewhere. Fox says she would welcome
hausted by her battles News’ Laura Ingraham men accused of sexual
with Trump while at Fox snarkily remarked Tues- misconduct to talk about
News Channel, Kelly day that Kelly’s interviews their cases.
sought freedom from with accusers of powerful While the topic isn’t ad-
political topics and NBC Republican men seemed dressed every day, it has
wanted to establish her like a daily feature. They convinced Kelly there’s
with lighter fare. Interviews are signs she’s getting no- room for meatier material
with Hollywood figures ticed. at the top of her show. Re-
Jane Fonda and Debra Kelly, who has written cently, for example, she
Messing, who either re- about being proposi- interviewed the baker in-
sisted Kelly’s questioning tioned by the late Fox volved in a U.S. Supreme
or resisted her, backfired News chief Roger Ailes, Court case because he
with bad publicity. brings an understand- refused to make a wed-
Then, on Friday night of ing to the topic she feels ding cake for a gay cou-
Columbus Day weekend, viewers and interview ple.
Kelly read a Huffington subjects relate to. “It’s to the credit of peo-
Post account of television This guides her in con- ple at home, who I some-
reporter Lauren Sivan’s versation. She makes it a times think are underesti-
disturbing encounter with point to ask women how mated,” she said. “They
Weinstein. Sivan was an they felt in the moment of are interested in more
acquaintance, so Kelly their incidents. She avoids than just pure fun. They
called and suggested an the questions that she can take information-
interview. Sivan accept- felt were offensive about al, in-depth discussions
ed. Ailes when she went on a about our country and
“It was powerful,” Kelly book tour. our culture, and then they
said. “It was compelling, For many women, work- can easily turn the page
and we had such good place assaults happen with us to ‘greatest tech
feedback on it. It felt right when they are expecting gadgets as gifts for 2017
to me and we were sort something completely Christmas.’”q