Fox News host Megyn Kelly moves to NBC as viewers turn on her

DONALD Trump’s biggest media nemesis has made a huge career change, and his supporters are taunting her mercilessly.

DONALD Trump’s fanbase has gone into a meltdown of sorts over the revelation that Fox News host Megyn Kelly, with whom the President-elect feuded during the election campaign, is moving to rival network NBC.

Fox News has announced that Ms Kelly will host her prime time show, The Kelly File, for the last time on Friday. She will then leave to launch a daytime program and a Sunday evening show at NBC, having turned down a $20 million offer to stay in her current job.

“Over a dozen years ago I started at Fox News in a job that would change my life. Now, I have decided to end my time at Fox, incredibly enriched for the experiences I’ve had,” Ms Kelly said on Facebook.

“I have agreed to join NBC News, where I will be launching a new daytime show Monday through Friday, along with a Sunday evening news magazine program. I will also participate in NBC’s breaking news coverage and its political and special events coverage.

Megyn Kelly. Pic: Fox News

“While I will greatly miss my colleagues at Fox, I am delighted to be joining the NBC News family and taking on a new challenge. I remain deeply grateful to Fox News, to Rupert, Lachlan and James Murdoch, and especially to all of the Fox viewers, who have taught me so much about what really matters.”

Those viewers made Ms Kelly the most-watched female news anchor in the United States after a meteoric rise through the network’s ranks. She quit her previous career as a corporate lawyer and joined Fox News as a reporter in 2004, eventually earning a shot at prime time.

But Ms Kelly’s tough treatment of Mr Trump throughout last year’s election campaign soured her image among the President-elect’s supporters, many of whom are now gleefully celebrating her departure.

Charming. Pic: Facebook/Megyn Kelly

It all started at the first Republican primary debate, in August of 2015, where Ms Kelly interrogated Mr Trump over his long history of insulting women.

“You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” she said.

“Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?”

Mr Trump was so incensed at Ms Kelly’s treatment of him that he feuded with her for months afterwards, labelling her a “lightweight” reporter, retweeting comments calling her “bimbo” and infamously implying she’d only asked that question at the debate because she was menstruating.

“I just don’t respect her as a journalist,” he said. “I have no respect for her, I don’t think she’s very good, I think she’s highly overrated.

“She gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions, and you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.”

Subtle, Donald. Pic: AFP

Mr Trump tweeted incessantly about Ms Kelly, nicknaming her “Crazy Megyn” and urging his supporters to boycott her “terrible”, “highly overrated” and “unwatchable” show. Fox News eventually accused him of having a “sick obsession” with her in an extraordinarily blunt public statement.

“Donald Trump’s vitriolic attacks against Megyn Kelly and his extreme, sick obsession with her are beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate who wants to occupy the highest office in the land,” the network said.

“Megyn is an exemplary journalist and one of the leading anchors in America — we’re extremely proud of her phenomenal work and continue to fully support her throughout every day of Trump’s endless barrage of crude and sexist verbal assaults.

“As the mother of three young children, with a successful law career and the second-highest rated show in cable news, it’s especially deplorable for her to be repeatedly abused just for doing her job.”

Mr Trump and Ms Kelly finally buried the hatchet during a friendly one-on-one interview a few weeks later, though his supporters don’t appear to have signed up to the truce.

Megyn Kelly represented the lowest form of journalism. Her constant bashing of Trump & supporters will not be forgotten. NBC is a nice fit!

— Adam D. Brown (@aduanebrown) January 3, 2017

Bye bye Megyn Kelly. You belong on NBC, Nothing But Crap. Time for Tomi Lahren to fill your old time slot on Fox News. @megynkelly

— Mark Dice (@MarkDice) January 3, 2017

For months, @megynkelly has been receiving death threats from Trump supporters. Now they are freaking out she is leaving Fox. #AbusiveSpouse

— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) January 3, 2017

Wow the hate spewed @megynkelly for leaving Fox is crazy. Some of you folks need a NY resolution to be nice.

— Dave Ramsey (@DaveRamsey) January 3, 2017

Ms Kelly’s fiercest critics know exactly who they want to replace her in Fox’s coveted 9pm timeslot — conservative firebrand Tomi Lahren. If you haven’t heard of her, you soon will.

Ms Lahren, who’s just 24 years old, currently hosts a show at a right-wing media outlet called The Blaze. She’s famous for her ranty segment “Final Thoughts”, which often goes viral online. Her most popular video has attracted more than 66 million views, and her Facebook page has 3.5 million followers.

“Whether you love what I’m saying or hate what I’m saying, you’re having a reaction to it, and that is exactly what needs to happen in this country,” she says.

.@TomiLahren Should Replace Megyn Kelly on Fox News, The Tomi File! Tomi would be EXCELLENT replacement! What You Think? #Maga #Trump pic.twitter.com/9JQwrKj9uO

— Immigrants☆4☆Trump (@immigrant4trump) January 3, 2017

Ms Lahren recently drew broad attention from the other side of politics as well after being interviewed by comedian Trevor Noah on The Daily Show. He asked her about some of her more controversial past comments, including her labelling of anti-Trump protesters as “misfit babies”.

“Sometimes people just need to be called on their s**t. When you’re protesting a fair and free election ... it’s time to clear the streets, it’s time to accept reality, it’s time to move on, time to make America great again, that’s all I’m saying,” Ms Lahren said.

You can see why Mr Trump’s fans like her.

Ms Kelly, meanwhile, will need to win over a very different viewership at her new network.