On Tuesday, Megyn Kelly began her NBC morning show with an on-air apology concerning her comments about blackface and Halloween costumes the previous day. “I want to begin with two words: I’m sorry,” a tearful Kelly said to the camera. “You may have heard that yesterday we had a discussion here about political correctness and Halloween costumes.” After briefly recounting the conversation and the ensuing controversy, Kelly said, “I was wrong, and I am sorry.”
She continued:
“One of the great parts of sitting in this chair each day is getting to discuss different points of view. Sometimes I talk, sometimes I listen. And yesterday, I learned. I learned that given 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. I have never been a PC-kind of person, but I do understand the value of being sensitive to our history, particularly on race and ethnicity.”
“This past year has been so painful for many people of color,” she added. “The country feels so divided and I have no wish to add to that pain and offense.” The Megyn Kelly TODAY studio audience erupted in cheers for the former Fox News presenter and sporadically gave her a standing ovation. Al Roker, who criticized Kelly earlier in the day for only issuing her initial apology to the staff on Monday, and others who took issue with he initial broadcast have yet to respond publicly.