‘SNL’ Takes Jab at Megyn Kelly for Losing Job at NBC Over Blackface Comments

In this weekend’s Saturday Night Live, Weekend Update did not ignore Megyn Kelly losing her job as host of Today‘s third hour. Kelly’s show was cancelled on Oct. 26 after she defended blackface Halloween costumes.

“NBC News announced that Megyn Kelly would not be returning to the Today show after her comments last week about blackface,” Michael Che said. “But don’t worry, she’s recovering with a nice, relaxing trip to the spa.”

SNL then showed a photo of Kelly wearing spa mud face mask that made it look like she was wearing blackface.

“Good one, Michael Che, about that Megyn Kelly joke,” one fan wrote.

Kelly’s NBC show Megyn Kelly Today was cancelled late last week after Kelly defended blackface costumes during a discussion of offensive Halloween costumes.

“But what is racist?” Kelly asked her panelists. “Because you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween. Back when I was a kid that was ok, as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character.”

Kelly apologized in an internal memo before making a statement to open her Oct. 24 episode. However, she was missing on Oct. 25. NBC announced a day later she would no longer appear on Today.

“I want to begin with two words: I’m sorry,” Kelly said in her on-air apology. “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.”

Since Kelly was taken off the air, a legal drama has ensued as the two sides work out a settlement. On Wednesday, her attorney Bryan Freedman accused NBC of leaking information about the settlement talks. He called many of the claims “fabrications.” NBC denied being unprofessional in handling the situation.

Kelly is also being portrayed in a new film about the late Fox News chief Roger Ailes. The movie, co-starring Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson and John Lithgow as Ailes, is now in producing and is being directed by Jay Roach. Oscar-winner Charlize Theron is playing Kelly.

New episodes of Saturday Night Live air on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. ET.

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