Will Megyn Kelly Interview Women Accusing Sexual Harassment By NBC Colleagues Chris Matthews and Matt Lauer
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
NBC morning host, Megyn Kelly is exploiting the sexual harassment news cycle to boost ratings for her show.
Kelly has interviewed a former colleague about sexual harassment at Fox News.
More recently, Kelly invited three women that claim President Trump engaged in various forms of sexual misconduct before he was elected president.
While Kelly is making the most of the headline news, she is largely ignoring the biggest elephant in the room: sexual harassment at NBC News.
As more news is coming out about issues surrounding sexual harassment at NBC, Kelly is being forced to address the matter at her employer but to date, she has not interviewed the women accusers.
Late last week, Variety wrote an exclusive story about a brief affair between Matt Lauer, the former star of “Today,” and a young production assistant.
Lauer was fired over sexual harassment by the network.
Variety reports:
In 1999, Addie Collins arrived at NBC’s “Today” as a young intern with big aspirations. A few months later, she landed her dream job as production assistant, forming close bonds with her new colleagues Katie Couric, Ann Curry and Al Roker. But Matt Lauer kept more of a professional distance—until Collins (who now goes by her married last name Zinone) was ready to leave the show.
One day in July 2000, he invited her to lunch, which Zinone thought would be a chance to ask him for career advice. Instead, Lauer, who was in his 40s and newly married, started to aggressively hit on the 24-year-old employee. Zinone felt dumbstruck and numb. Intimidated by his stature, she gave in to his flattery, and she entered into a month-long relationship with Lauer, who would arrange to secretly meet her in his dressing room.
The Daily Caller reported on Lauer’s firing and problems at NBC:
NBC News’ firing of “Today” show co-host Matt Lauer is the latest example in an ugly pattern of NBC allegedly turning a blind eye to sexual harassment allegations.
The network fired Lauer on Wednesday after a complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior. Lauer faces multiple accusations of sex harassment, including reports that he sexually assaulted a staffer while at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Lauer’s pattern of sexual harassment was reportedly known within the network well before they fired him. Several woman “complained to executives at the network about Lauer’s behavior, which fell on deaf ears given the lucrative advertising surrounding ‘Today,’” Variety Magazine reported.
News just surfaced Chris Matthews, the host of MSNBC’s “Hard Ball,” was accused of sexual harassment in 1999 and the company settled with the woman as part of a separation agreement.
The Daily Caller reports:
An MSNBC spokesman confirmed Saturday the company made a separation-related payment to one of Chris Matthews employees after the woman complained about sexual harassment.
Two sources familiar with the situation told The Daily Caller that Matthews paid $40,000 to settle with an assistant producer on his show, “Hardball with Chris Matthews,” in 1999 after she accused him of harassment. An MSNBC spokesperson contested that claim to the Caller, saying the company instead paid significantly less as part of a severance package.
The story adds the claims against Mattews were considered by NBC as, “inappropriate and juvenile,” and not a “proposition” for sex.
If Kelly wants to be on the cutting edge of the sexual harassment stories she can’t ignore serious issues at her current employer.
At this point, by talking about Lauer on her show Kelly is trying to maintain some credibility by dipping her toe in the sexual harassment pool at NBC but she has not dived in.
Accordingly, Kelly should interview women who are alleged victims at NBC and investigate why the network provided a culture allowing the outrageous behavior.
Don’t hold your breath, for Kelly it’s not about the women, it’s about TV ratings.
