Megyn Kelly Blows Out The Competition On The First Night Of Her New Show

The debut of "The Kelly File," the new Fox News show hosted by rising-star host Megyn Kelly, blew out its competitors in the 9 p.m. ET hour Monday night, according to early ratings from Nielsen Media Research.

"The Kelly File" drew 2.1 million viewers on its first night, easily beating out CNN and MSNBC's 9 p.m. hours combined. Kelly's viewership grew 75% from the year-to-date average of former 1-3 p.m. time slot.

Kelly made a splash on the first night of her new show. Her first guest was Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has led the charge to "defund Obamacare" in congressional budget battles. Her first question to him: "How does it feel to be the most hated man in America?"

Also new to Fox News' lineup, "Shepard Smith Reporting" at 3 p.m. ET beat both cable-news competitors combined in both total viewers and in the key demographic.

The full ratings, via Nielsen:

PRIMETIME - 8-11 p.m. ET:

Fox: 2,059,053 total viewers (318,547 in A25-54)

CNN: 519,786 total viewers (145,193 in A25-54)

MSNBC: 946,861 total viewers (292,874 in A25-54)

9-10 p.m.

FNC's The Kelly File: 2,066,368 total viewers (289,264 in A25-54)

CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight: 529,946 total viewers (144,602 in A25-54)

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show: 997,466 total viewers (298,543 in A25-54)

And the daytime ratings:

3-4 p.m. ET

FNC's Shepard Smith Reporting: 1,436,284 total viewers (250,036 in A25-54)

CNN's Newsroom: 511,167 total viewers (123,587 in A25-54)

MSNBC's The Cycle: 346,510 total viewers (84,435 in A25-54)