Megyn Kelly has Oprah-esque ambitions at NBC: Report

One of Fox News’ most recognizable faces is looking to become the next Oprah Winfrey, Page Six reported.

Megyn Kelly, who left the network in January after 13 years, has joined NBC and will host a live, one-hour daytime talk show and a Sunday night news program for NBC News. Both are slated to debut this fall.

From 2013 to 2017, Kelly hosted “The Kelly File” on Fox News, which was 2016’s second highest-rated cable news show for viewers 25 to 54. After becoming one of the stars of the network long favored by conservative Republicans,Kelly is apparently ready for a change of pace.

“There was a lot of tough news to report on her show at Fox News. A lot of combative interviewing, going after people. Doing that every night was difficult,” a source told Page Six. “Megyn feels she has more to offer. She wants to help people the way Oprah did, and do something more positive.”

Oprah, of course, is known as the “Queen of all Media,” whose syndicated talk show ran for 25 years and despite ending in 2011, remains the highest-rated talk show in TV history. That year, she also founded the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and is a renowned philanthropist.

In addition to her Oprah-like aspirations, the source told Page Six that Kelly, who famously became a target for then-candidate Donald Trump’s wrath during his presidential campaign, aims to focus on issues and interview “real people” and celebrities. “Plus, she has a sense of humor, and she wants to use that.”

The search is on for an executive producer for Kelly, with “many people vying for this job,” a rep for her said.

Kelly’s hiring has made waves within the “Peacock Network,” and “people who have been there for 30 years fear they’ll be let go, and there’s of course, talk about how much money she’s getting,” another source told Page Six. Kelly reportedly signed a deal worth between $12 million and $15 million.

In addition to going head to head with Trump, Kelly was also one of the Fox employees who accused the network’s founder, the now-resigned Roger Ailes, of sexual harassment.