Another major network denies ever wanting Megyn Kelly

It is rumored that numerous networks are courting Megyn Kelly and want to steal her away from Fox News. Kelly stridently denies the rumors, but it would be surprising if they weren’t courting her. Her price tag is very high though – $20 million a year. I doubt the other networks could afford her, but desperation can do wonders for a failing media outlet. Vanity Fair is claiming that ABC is seriously making offers to win Megyn’s affections. ABC is flat out saying that is not true and they have never approached her. So, yet another major network is denying the hunt for Kelly.

Now, I’m not sure I believe ABC. I doubt that a Willy Wonka recruitment video was made up out of thin air, but these types of negotiations are almost universally done very quietly and privately. You don’t want to tip your hand or hint to Fox or others that you are indeed dancing with the top journalist and talking head in news today. Deny everything while having reps, producers and attorneys bang out the details. We’ll see.

From UPROXX:

Trending: The 15 Best Conservative News Sites On The Internet According to Sarah Ellison, whose coverage of Kelly’s professional aspirations for Vanity Fair have fueled months of rampant speculation, network executives reneged on an insider’s previous claim and approached her with a “recruitment” video: Within the last month, according to a person familiar with the discussions, ABC has renewed, and perhaps sweetened, its effort to woo Kelly. At one point, in an overture, Kelly was shown a recruitment presentation depicting the so-called legends of ABC, which started, oddly enough, with an image of Willy Wonka, and ended with one of Kelly. Willy Wonka’s inclusion notwithstanding, Ellison followed up with representatives for ABC and Kelly who both vehemently denied the report. “As much as we appreciate and admire Megyn Kelly’s talents, this is simply not true,” remarked an unnamed Disney-ABC Television spokesperson. “There has never been an offer of any job, and therefore there is nothing that could be sweetened. End of story.” Likewise, Kelly’s spokesperson Leslee Dart noted “people can parse language any way they want” while boasting that Kelly “[had] been presented with more opportunities than ever before.”

This latest news concerning ABC and Kelly follows a report last week that says CNN is jumping into the fray as well. They have renewed their interest in Megyn. Personally, I think CNN has been courting her for a long time now. But they would have to sweeten a deal that is already killer to snag her. Allegedly CNN president Jeff Zucker was “actively pursuing” Kelly for a daily evening anchor gig on the Fox News rival, though the money being discussed apparently wasn’t enough to catch her eye. Kelly denied the rumor on Twitter and told her fans to not believe it if it doesn’t come from her. Hmmm.

According to Kelly, she loves it at Fox News and I believe her. She has built a solid reputation there and is queen of the hill. She’s been heavily promoting her book, but that is to be expected. All authors do that however they can. I would say the recruitment efforts will continue… but Kelly is a very sharp business woman, attorney, journalist and mother. She will do whatever is best for her and her family. Right now that looks like Fox News, who will be thrilled to keep her on the team.