Megyn Kelly Faces Backlash After “Blackface” Comments, Submits Apology: “The History Of Blackface In Our Culture Is Abhorrent; The Wounds Too Deep”

NBC on-air host Megyn Kelly is facing backlash after she questioned why people get upset over non-Black people wearing “blackface” on Halloween.

On Tuesday during Kelly’s live show, “Megyn Kelly Today,” Kelly and show panelists discussed offensive and inappropriate costumes and the conversation stumbled onto people wearing blackface as a part of their costume. Kelly then pondered why people found it offensive and said when she was growing up it was okay to wear blackface. “But what is racist?” Kelly asked. 

“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 then used “The Real Housewives of New York” star Luann de Lesseps as an example. Last year,  Lesseps faced scrutiny for dressing up as #Diana Ross with black face. “There was a controversy on The Real Housewives of New York with Luann, and she dressed as Diana Ross, and she made her skin look darker than it really is and people said that that was racist,” Kelly said. “And I don’t know, I felt like who doesn’t love Diana Ross? She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day. I don’t know how, like, that got racist on Halloween.”

After the show aired several people on social media went after Kelly for her insensitive and tone-deaf comments. One of those critics were comedian Patton Oswalt who wrote on Twitter, ”Dear @megynkelly — you and I are approximately the same age. Blackface was NOT okay when we were kids. Take it from a big-hearted boy who just wanted to show his love for Nipsey Russell on the worst Halloween of my life.”

Kelly has since apologized for her words in an internal email to her “friends and teammates” that read: “One of the wonderful things about my job is that I get the chance to express and hear a lot of opinions. Today is one of those days where listening carefully to other points of view, including from friends and colleagues, is leading me to rethink my own views…” “I realize now that such behavior is indeed wrong, and I am sorry,” Kelly added. “The history of blackface in our culture is abhorrent; the wounds too deep.”