Megyn Kelly’s Departure Immediately Boosts ‘Today’ At 9 and 10 AM
Megyn Kelly has been gone as host of Today show’s 9 AM hour for two full weeks.
Viewers are expressing approval with ratings.
Kathie Lee and Hoda could not be happier.
Megyn Kelly Today was canceled on October 26, though NBC News had pulled the former Fox News star off its air two days earlier when she seemed to say Halloween costume blackface used to be okay when she was growing up and wonder why it was not okay now.
That week, Megyn Kelly Today clocked 2.522 million viewers, including 675K in the news demographic.
The following week, Today’s Megyn-free 9 AM hour averaged 2.649M viewers, including 752K in the news demographic – jumping 5% and 11%, respectively.
Last week, NBC’s second of the post-Kelly era at 9 AM, the hours ratings settled down somewhat, as rubberneckers moved on. Today
averaged 2.632M viewers in that hour with 741K in the news demo – slips of 1% from previous week but still an improvement over the hour with Kelly hosting.
What viewers are liking is a return to the more traditional Today format, helmed by a stable of Today show talent, most often including Craig Melvin, Jenna Bush Hager and Al Roker.
Kelly’s removal also has had an immediate, positive ratings effect on the fourth hour of Today, hosted by Hota Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford.
Airing at 10 AM during Kelly’s final week on air, Hoda and Kathie Lee nabbed 1.844 million viewers, including 516K in the news demo. The following week, sans Kelly as lead-in, Kathie Lee and Hoda’s ratings popped: 1.964 million viewers, 571K in the news demo. That’s a 7% and 11% improvement, week to week, respectively.
Week 2 of Today’s post-Kelly world, Hoda and Kathie Lee clocked 1.911M viewers; 534K in the news demo, slipping 3% in both metrics but still improving on their final week of the Kelly era.
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