Thumbs down...

Megyn Kelly gets thumbs down from critics

Debuting her new NBC morning show, the former Fox anchor vows 'I'm done with politics for now.'

By JASON SCHWARTZ

Megyn Kelly’s new NBC hour following the “Today” show, in which the former Fox News star shuns political interviews for a softer, more lifestyle-driven focus, premiered on Monday to jeers from many critics.

The Washington Post’s Hank Stuever was particularly cutting: “The debut was like watching a network try to assemble its own Bride of Frankenstein, using parts of Ellen DeGeneres, Kelly Ripa and whatever else it can find.”

CNN’s Brian Lowry allowed that, “It's absurdly early, of course, to draw any conclusions about the efficacy of the Kelly experiment.” Still, he continued, “After tepid marks for her prime time newsmagazine and now her addition to ‘Today,’ it's worth considering that NBC News brass leapt at the opportunity to snag a high-profile news star without having fully thought through how best to deploy her.”

Jezebel also mocked the show, saying Kelly looked like “a HomeGoods catalog brought to life” and Newsweek was critical, as well.

LA Times TV critic Robert Lloyd was more generous, noting, “It is impossible to tell how anyone will do in this job from a first episode. (Guarded, even disappointed, reactions greeted the bows of Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Trevor Noah.)”

He added: “Hair needs to be let down, but Kelly’s first hour gave no indication that this is a job she can’t learn. It always takes time, and time alone will tell.”

NBC declined any comment on the initial reaction to the show.

Kelly began the hour by declaring herself “kind of done with politics for now.” The former Fox News anchor, who moderated multiple Republican presidential debates during the last presidential election, said she will seek instead to provoke “a smile, sometimes a tear, and maybe some hope to start your day.”

“We will be dissecting the latest tweet from President Trump,” Kelly said on the show, before making it clear that she was joking: “Oh no, we will not be doing that.”

In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, Kelly indicated that she knew getting the show right would take time.

“I have a nice long runway,” she said. “No one is expecting me to fly the plane perfectly and at 30,000 feet as soon as they turn the engine on. That takes some of the pressure off and allows me and my team to focus on content.”