See Megyn Kelly Tear up During On-Air Apology About Blackface Remarks, Receive Standing Ovation

Megyn Kelly was close to tears on Wednesday morning as she apologized for defending blackface on Tuesday morning’s show.

Kelly was under fire on Tuesday after she had an all-white panel on her show to discuss blackface in Halloween costumes. Kelly seemed to be the only one who defended the practice, and viewers had a lot of criticism for her comments. The outrage mounted on Twitter, with other media professionals condemning Kelly and her comments. Finally, on Wednesday morning, Kelly returned to the air for a shaky apology.

“I want to begin with two words: I’m sorry,” she said. “You may have heard that yesterday we had a conversation about political correctness and Halloween costumes… I defended the idea [of black face], saying that as long it was respectful and part of a Halloween costume, it seemed okay. Well, I was wrong, and I am sorry.”

Kelly implied that she had only learned the offensive history of black face after making her comments, and she thanked the audience for giving her a platform where she could learn through meaningful conversations.

“One of the great parts of sitting in this chair each day is getting to discuss different points of view,” she said. “Sometimes I talk, and sometimes I listened, and yesterday I learned. I learned that, given the history of black face 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.”

Kelly walked a fine line by mocking the “politically correct” mindset while admitting that it was important to respect and learn from one another.

“I have never been a [politically correct] kind of person, but I do understand the value of being sensitive to our history, particularly on race and ethnicity,” she said.

Finally, Kelly addressed the general division in America, stating that she did not wish to add to it.

“This past year has been so painful for many people of color. The country feels so divided and I have no wish to add to that pain and offense,” she declared. “I believe this is a time for more understanding, more love, more sensitivity and honor, and I want to be part of that. Thank you for listening and for helping me listen too.”

After her speech, the cameras panned around Kelly’s studio to show the audience giving her a long standing ovation, while the host blinked away tears. However, the audience on Twitter was not so forgiving, noting that the long ovation seemed like a bit of a stunt. They noted that the shots seemed to linger on black audience members, and Kelly’s monologue felt contrived to some.