On Sunday morning, the media-focused CNN show Reliable Sources spent an entire segment eagerly looking at the possibility that Kelly File host Megyn Kelly may not have her contracted renewed with Fox News and lead to her leaving the network in 2017 following Donald Trump's unnerving obsession with her during the presidential campaign.
Host Brian Stelter started the segment by playing video clips and showing tweets of Trump attacking Megyn Kelly before noting that Kelly has both been "bruised and at the same time bolstered" by Trump's behavior with it coming as her Fox News contract ends early in 2017.
After welcoming on New York Times media columnist Jim Rutenberg, Stelter gushed how both of them were at huge Hollywood Reporter party on Wednesday in which Kelly "was the center of attention in the room."
"People like Savannah Guthrie going up to her and giving her big hugs, presidents of networks also saying hello. Do you think there's a chance she could leave FOX and go to another network this time next year," he wondered.
Rutenberg responded with excitement that "is a chance it could happen, so I just wouldn't rule it out and that party was really interesting because that was the toast of the town, the media elite, embracing Fox's -- one of Fox's two biggest stars."
In a slight to O'Reilly Factor host Bill O'Reilly, Stelter ruled that O'Reilly "doesn't get the same kind of attention necessarily" whenever he's around and thus this party of the liberal media elite was so exhilarating because "Megyn Kelly is unique because she's striven, I would say, she tried to be independent" and "a brand that's bigger than Fox."
The NYT columnist slightly backpedaled when he admitted that those inside FNC will brush aside the talk since many such profiles push this subject of contention but regardless of that:
That said, there was a sort of critical mass of Megyn Kelly news last week. That like to me evidence to me that she's becoming a very big star before our eyes. She already had something, but she's becoming a very big TV star.
Stelter jumped on that point and hammered home just why the chance that they think Kelly could leave "is a big deal":
STELTER: Megyn Kelly is a star Fox has never seen before. She's been in primetime a couple years ago and Fox has really bet its future on her. We haven't seen somebody like that leave Fox in the past, haven't we?
RUTENBERG: Not a star this big. We saw Paula Zahn leave for CNN many, many years ago. But this is something different. This is a bigger star.
STELTER: It's normally a more cloistered place. When you're at Fox, you stay there for a long time.
RUTENBERG: And you don't see publicly, people publicly airing their negotiation positions.
STELTER: That's what's so interesting about this.
The relevant portions of the transcript from CNN's Reliable Sources on April 10 can be found below.
CNN's Reliable Sources
April 10, 2016
11:15 a.m. Eastern
BRIAN STELTER: Fox says he's obsessed with her, but Trump's unrelenting attacks have bruised and at the same time bolstered, Megyn Kelly. Her contract with Fox is up next year, I believe early next year, and she's essentially started I would call it negotiating in public. In a candid interview, one of many this week, she told Variety, quote, "I don't know what's going to happen. I have to keep my options open" and in a sitdown with Charlie rose, she said she respects Fox, she likes being there, but she imagined kind of her dream show. Here's what she said.
MEGYN KELLY [on CBS News Sunday Morning, 04/03/16]: How about if we merge a little Charlie Rose, a little Oprah, and a little me all together and we serve that up as an hour. Wouldn't you watch that?
STELTER: Interesting idea. So, what is next for her and is her future actually entwined with Donald Trump's? Joining me now, The New York Times media columnist, Jim Rutenberg. Jim, good to see you.
JIM RUTENBERG: Great. Thanks for having me.
STELTER: We were both at a party on Wednesday night. Megyn Kelly was there. It was a Hollywood Reporter party and she was the center of attention in the room. People like Savannah Guthrie going up to her and giving her big hugs, presidents of networks also saying hello. Do you think there's a chance she could leave FOX and go to another network this time next year?
RUTENBERG: First of all, I think there is a chance it could happen. So, I just wouldn't rule it out and that party was really interesting because that was the toast of the town, the media elite, embracing Fox's -- one of Fox's two biggest stars.
STELTER: And, of course, we haven't seen that before, right? When Bill O'Reilly goes to an event like this, he doesn't get the same kind of attention necessarily. People shake his hand, they respect him, but Megyn Kelly is unique because she's striven, I would say, she tried to be independent. She's tried to have a brand that's bigger than Fox. Why do you think she's doing all these interviews now, whether it's Charlie Rose or Variety or the others she's doing?
RUTENBERG: Now, people at Fox will tell you it's a coincidence, it's the way some interviews lined up and it seems to be that's the case. That said, there was a sort of critical mass of Megyn Kelly news last week. That like to me evidence to me that she's becoming a very big star before our eyes. She already had something, but she's becoming a very big TV star.
STELTER: That's why I say she's both been bruised and bolstered by this Trump battle, you know, because, clearly, it has hurt her. She has security I believe now when she travels. It's done damage to her. You look at the Twitter mentions, all the nastiness directed at her, but at the same time, it has made her more prominent. It's a strange thing to say, but there's a true dynamic there.
RUTENBERG: I mean, she said that herself. She spoke at a Variety women's conference this week and said exactly that. She said the Trump fight has had adversity, it's been tough, but it's also created opportunities. So, she's very well aware of that.
STELTER: Let's underscore why this is a big deal. Megyn Kelly is a star Fox has never seen before. She's been in primetime a couple years ago and Fox has really bet its future on her. We haven't seen somebody like that leave Fox in the past, haven't we?
RUTENBERG: Not a star this big. We saw Paula Zahn leave for CNN many, many years ago. But this is something different. This is a bigger star.
STELTER: It's normally a more cloistered place. When you're at Fox, you stay there for a long time.
RUTENBERG: And you don't see publicly, people publicly airing their negotiation positions.
STELTER: That's what's so interesting about this. Let's play other clip. This is from another interview she did this week with Kate Couric on stage at Tina Brown's conference.
KELLY: You know, I think Fox has done a good job supporting me and I feel for my boss Roger Ailes, because -- think of the position he's been put in, right? This is unprecedented. They have one of their lead news anchors under attack and yet, what are they going to do? They can't ban the presidential front-runner on the Republican side from coming on the channel.
STELTER: So, that's how she explains the tensions with Trump. Do you think there's a scenario here where she has to think about leaving Fox? Because if Trump were to become president, would she really fit on the conservative cable news channel of the United States?
RUTENBERG: I wonder about that, because Roger Ailes has shown publicly a lot of loyalty toward her, releasing a statement that really had her back.
STELTER: Yes.
RUTENBERG: And I think Ms. Kelly is aware that Ailes has been a good patron for her. Maybe they end up outgrowing each other, and that'd be a little bit different. But I think if the status quo is maintained, sure, she could stay.
STELTER: Of course, all this is fundamentally about money, probably, as some of her comments maybe part of the negotiation, trying to seek a better contract. But she has indicated she wants a different kind of job. She wants to be more like Barbara Walters and she's doing her first Barbara Walter-esque primetime special in May. So, it seems to me, Fox is giving her room to try that out.
RUTENBERG: Fox is giving her room. I think her salary is already very high. Could she get a $20 million morning show salary? Perhaps. But also, Harper Collins, which is in the same corporate family, gave her a very generous book contract. So, the corporate culture has made it clear to her that they will be good to her.
STELTER: That's a good glimpse behind the scenes, by the way, about how these things work, right? 21st Century Fox, News Corporation, all owned by the Murdochs. Having a book deal for her, as well as a TV show, as well as a primetime special, perhaps ways to keep her in the family.
RUTENBERG: Yes, and show some love with a lot of money, many millions of dollars.
