Megyn Kelly Today Makes Grand Debut: Former Fox Host Emotionally Recounts Father's Death When She Was 15

Aurelie Corinthios
Updated

Megyn Kelly has officially made her morning show debut!

On Monday, the former Fox News anchor debuted Megyn Kelly TODAY, which occupies the NBC morning show’s third hour.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “I’m also a little nervous!”

“We’ll be dissecting the latest tweet from President Trump — oh no, we will not be doing that,” she said. “The truth is, I am kind of done with politics for now.”

Kelly, 46, encouraged her live studio audience in New York City to “have a laugh with us, a smile, and sometimes a tear” as she celebrated the show’s launch day, getting emotional as she recalled her father dying of a sudden heart attack in their family home when she was 15 years old, just 10 days before Christmas — “the single most devastating event of my lifetime,” as she called it.

Kelly — whose mother was in the audience — said her goal at Megyn Kelly TODAY is to “deliver hope and optimism, and to have fun.”

Kelly encouraged her audience to ask questions, informing them that every morning would begin with a dialogue between the host and the studio audience.

One audience member asked Kelly, who previously hosted The Kelly File on Fox News before leaving the network in January for a diverse new role at NBC, what has been her biggest joy — and biggest challenge — in transitioning from evening to morning television.

“The biggest challenge by far is the alarm clock,” Kelly joked. “My biggest joy has been so far just all of it — I mean honestly, all of it. Professionally, I feel fulfilled, personally, I’ve been having dinner with my husband and my kids every night.”

Kelly’s husband Douglas Brunt then made a surprise appearance, gifting his wife of 11 years with a bouquet of red roses.

“You’ve already made us all laugh and cry,” he said as the two embraced. “Congratulations!”

“That is so sweet, because he is not a TV person,” said Kelly after he exited the stage. “Doug, unlike me, likes his privacy!”

Earlier this month, Kelly told PEOPLE she’s been “having so much fun [at NBC] it’s almost not right.”

Megyn Kelly TODAY airs weekdays on NBC (check local listings).