NBC/Megyn Kelly Today
Megyn Kelly
- On Wednesday, NBC host Megyn Kelly delivered an extended apology on the "Megyn Kelly Today" show after defending blackface for Halloween costumes.
- In a televised panel on Tuesday, Kelly asked why wearing blackface on Halloween was racist.
- She faced near-immediate backlash for her comments.
- Kelly has since apologized for her comments to not only her colleagues but also to her audience, saying she's "never been a PC kind of person."
On Wednesday, NBC host Megyn Kelly delivered an extended apology on "Megyn Kelly Today" after defending wearing blackface for Halloween costumes.
She began her show with an outright apology for the incident.
"I want to begin with two words - I'm sorry," she said.
She continued, explaining the situation in detail.
"You may have heard that yesterday we had a discussion here about political correctness and Halloween costumes. And that conversation turned to whether it is ever okay for a person of one race to dress up as another, a black person making their face whiter or a white person making there's darker, to make a costume complete," Kelly said. "I defended the idea, saying as long as it was respectful and part of a Halloween costume it seemed okay. Well, I was wrong and I am sorry."
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1055084908186615808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Megyn Kelly just delivered an extended apology for her blackface comments on the Today show pic.twitter.com/kHVDjCSZSp
Kelly said that on Tuesday was a learning experience for her.
"One of the great parts of getting to sit in this chair is getting to discuss points of view. Sometimes I talk and sometimes I listen," she said. "Yesterday, I learned. I learned that the history of blackface being used in awful ways by racists in this country. It is not okay for that to be part of any costume, Halloween or otherwise."
She continued: "I have never been a PC kind of person, but I do understand the value in being sensitive to our history, particularly on race and ethnicity. This past year has been so painful for many people of color. The country feels so divided. And I have no wish to add to that pain and offense. I believe this is a time for more understanding, more love, more sensitivity, and honor. And I want to be part of that. Thank you for listening and for helping me listen, too."
As Kelly concluded her apology, the camera panned to the audience, who applauded her.
Kelly's apology came after a roundtable on Tuesday with Melissa Rivers, Jenna Bush Hager, and guest host Jacob Soboroff on "Megyn Kelly Today," in which Kelly asked why wearing blackface was racist.
"But what is racist? 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 white face for Halloween," she asked her panel. "That was OK when I was a kid, as long as you were dressing like a character."
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1054725740476973057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Megyn Kelly wonders what the big deal is about blackface pic.twitter.com/07yvYDuAYe
Specifically, Kelly called into question Luann de Lesseps of "Real Housewives of New York," who darkened her skin to dress as Diana Ross for Halloween last year.
"I don't see how that is racist on Halloween," she said. "Who doesn't love Diana Ross?"
But her panelists weren't sure. "I haven't seen it, but it sounds pretty racist to me," Soboroff said. "Me too," Bush Hager said.
Her comments quickly gained traction online, where they faced nearly immediate blacklash, as people found them insensitive.
Later that day, Kelly apologized for her comments in an internal email reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter.
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1054819577836781568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Here's the email Megyn Kelly sent to colleagues today apologizing for her comments on blackface Halloween costumes pic.twitter.com/cOVW1QWJB6
"I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry," she said in the email. "The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent; the wounds too deep." She added that she has "never been a 'pc' kind of person - but I do understand that we need to be more sensitive in this day and age."
This isn't the first time Kelly been criticized for her comments about race.
In 2013, Kelly said that Santa Claus and Jesus were white, as a matter of indisputable "historical fact."
"Just because it makes you feel uncomfortable doesn't mean it has to change," she said on Fox News.