Megyn Kelly choked back tears on Wednesday morning as she launched her show with an emotional monologue about her colleague Matt Lauer’s firing over sexual misconduct allegations.
Lauer, 59, was fired as a result of his alleged mistreatment of a colleague while they were working on the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
His departure from the network was announced by NBC Chairman Andy Lack on Wednesday morning.
On her show, NBC newcomer Kelly began by reading aloud Lack’s letter. She then replayed the comments of Lauer’s Today show co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb before sharing her own take on the news.
‘This one does hit close to home. I, too, have known Matt for a long time. And he’s been a friend and kind and supportive to me in my transition to NBC news.
‘And I see the anguish on my colleague’s faces. But when this happens, what we don’t see is the pain on the faces of those who found the courage to come forward. And it is a terrifying thing to do,’ she said.
Kelly, 46, harkened back to her time at Fox News, ‘another news network where this happened’ and vowed, like her Guthrie and Kotb, to push on with their coverage of scandal despite their personal connections to it.
Megyn Kelly fought back tears on Wednesday as she addressed Matt Lauer’s firing from NBC which she said represented a ‘sea of change’ and was a ‘sign of progress’
‘We are in the middle of a sea change in this country. An empowerment revolution, in which women, who for years felt they had no choice but to deal with being harassed at work, are now starting to picture another reality.
‘To feel that change is within their grasp.
‘As painful as this moment is, for so many here at NBC, today, at CBS earlier this month, at Fox News over the last year, in Hollywood this fall, it is a sign of progress, of women finding their voices, their courage and of the erosion of a shameful power imbalance that has been in place for far too long,’ she said.
To finish, she harkened back to her time at Fox News – ‘another news channel where this happened’.
‘A final note. I have been at another news channel where this happened, as you know. My experience is, a news organization is bigger than any one person.
‘They all face challenges. They all stumble. But the good ones stay standing and forge forward, fulfilling their core mission, journalism. We’ll continue to stay on this story and bring you more as we know it. Until then, on with the news,’ she said.
Anguished: Kelly, who joined NBC in January after leaving Fox, said she was thinking of the victims of sexual harassment at work
Kelly said she had known Matt a ‘long time’ and that he was a ‘kind and supportive’ friend to her during her transition from Fox to NBC in January. The pair are pictured in May
Then came a deep breath and a brief glance away from the camera until she segwayed seamlessly into the next item on the agenda.
Kelly, 46, joined NBC in January this year as Fox News’s biggest names crumbled under accusations of sexual misconduct. She had worked there since 2004 and become one of the network’s highest paid and most revered presenters.
Lauer’s termination was announced by NBC on Wednesday morning.
Bosses said they had received a ‘detailed’ complaint about the 59-year-old on Monday night and that, upon review, they do not believe it was the only instance of alleged misconduct.
In a statement on Wednesday, Today said: ‘Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News. On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer.
Lauer’s Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb soldiered through their broadcast on Wednesday after learning of the news moments before going on air
‘As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.’
Guthrie and Kotb, who went on air moments after learning of Lauer’s termination, were understandably more stunned.
”This is a sad morning here at Today and NBC News. We learned this moments ago, just this morning. As you can imagine, we are devastated. And we are still processing all of this,’ said Guthrie.
‘I will tell you, we do not know more than what I just shared with you. But we will be covering this story, as reporters, as journalists. I’m sure we’ll learn more details in the hours and days to come. We promise to share that with you.’
Lauer was paid $25million-a-year and was the show’s longest-running host, having been at its helm since 1994.