Megyn Kelly is at war with executives from her own network, Page Six has learned.
We’re told that bosses at NBC are “appalled” because Kelly is trying to book Catt Sadler on the “Today” show to talk about the now-famous pay dispute that caused Sadler to suddenly quit “E! News.” The problem? NBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal, also owns Sadler’s former employer, the E! Network.
“They are appalled [Kelly] would use their own airtime to criticize the company,” said an insider. “It was bad enough when Debra Messing [who stars on NBC’s ‘Will & Grace’] weighed in on [Sadler’s grievance] on the Golden Globes red carpet on NBC. Now Megyn is going to put Catt front and center — on NBC! Yikes.”
As Page Six first reported, Sadler dramatically quit E! in December after more than 10 years with the network. She soon after revealed that her reason for leaving was that she discovered that her “E! News” co-host Jason Kennedy was making nearly twice her salary.
It has since become a high-profile public battle, with E! boss Frances Berwick saying on Tuesday at a Television Critics Association event in LA that “Kennedy and Catt Sadler had different roles, and therefore different salaries,” which Sadler then denied in a statement.
Meanwhile, Messing and Eva Longoria both addressed Sadler’s case on the Golden Globes red carpet, and Amy Schumer and Julianne Moore posted their support for Sadler online.
NBC was harshly criticized for shelving Ronan Farrow’s investigation into Harvey Weinstein before he took it to the New Yorker, and former “Today” host Matt Lauer was fired in November after years of inappropriate sexual behavior.
Since joining the network, Kelly has been something of a headache for execs, getting into spats with guests including Jane Fonda and — coincidentally — Messing, and struggling with historically low ratings.
Reps for NBC News, E! and Sadler didn’t get back to us.