Megyn Kelly Apologizes for Blackface Comments | THR News - video Dailymotion

The NBC host sent an internal email shortly after she faced intense backlash for her comments on air.

Transcript

00:00If you are a white person who puts on blackface on Halloween, or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween,

00:05like, back when I was a kid, that was okay as long as you were dressing up as like a character.

00:10Megyn Kelly is apologizing for comments she made on Tuesday's Megyn Kelly Today,

00:15in which she seemingly defended blackface Halloween costumes.

00:18In an internal email sent to her colleagues, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter,

00:23Kelly wrote that she's heard from colleagues and friends and realizes her comments were wrong.

00:28During a segment about controversial Halloween costumes, Kelly asked her panelists,

00:32but what is racist?

00:34In addition to her comments about blackface and whiteface costumes being, quote,

00:37okay when she was a kid, Kelly also defended Real Housewives of New York star Luanne's costume from last Halloween.

00:44And she made her skin look darker than it really is, and people said that that was racist.

00:49And I don't know, I felt like, who doesn't love Diana Ross?

00:51She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day.

00:53The comments sparked immediate backlash online.

00:56In her memo sent later on Tuesday, Kelly wrote,

00:59One of the wonderful things about my job is that I get the chance to express and hear a lot of opinions.

01:04Today is one of those days where listening carefully to other points of view,

01:08including from friends and colleagues, is leading me to rethink my own views.

01:13She said of her comments about blackface on the show,

01:15I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry.

01:20The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent, the wounds too deep.

01:23Kelly concluded her email by saying,

01:25I've never been a PC kind of person, but I understand that we do need to be more sensitive in this day and age,

01:31particularly on race and ethnicity issues which, far from being healed,

01:35have been exacerbated in our politics over the past year.

01:39This is a time for more understanding, love, sensitivity and honor, and I want to be a part of that.

01:44I look forward to continuing that discussion.

01:46For more on this story and the full segment for Megyn Kelly today, head to THR.com.

01:51Until next time, for The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Tiffany Taylor.