Megyn Kelly's segment of the Today show will not return to NBC, the network confirmed in a statement Friday. The cancellation of the daytime talk show comes following controversial comments Kelly made on Tuesday about blackface apparently being acceptable during her childhood. "Megyn Kelly Today is not returning," an NBC spokesperson said in a statement released by NBC News. Thursday and Friday tapings of Kelly's show were replaced with previously aired episodes. Kelly began exit negotiations with NBC via her lawyer Bryan Freedman on Thursday, according to CNN. NBC's Morgan Radford announced Kelly was discussing her departure from the morning news program on Today on Friday. "This morning, NBC News host Megyn Kelly is in talks with the network about her imminent departure," Radford said. Freedman told The New York Times that Kelly "remains an employee of NBC News and discussions about next steps are continuing." NBC said Kelly's future with the network overall had yet to be decided. The network also noted that Kelly's 9 a.m. hour of television would be hosted by other Today co-anchors next week. It is unclear how long the network plans to cover that hour's time slot with its current anchors. Kelly joined NBC following a lengthy run as a Fox News anchor in 2017. Her three-year contract was worth a reported $69 million. Following the immediate backlash of the 47-year-old's comment, some people on social media requested that NBC hand the 9 a.m. hour back to Roker and former NBC anchor Tamron Hall, who abruptly left the network the day her contract was up in February 2017. Hall's departure shook viewers across the nation, many of whom suspected she had been ousted from the network in exchange for Kelly. "Tamron is an exceptional journalist; we valued and enjoyed her work at 'Today' and MSNBC and hoped that she would decide to stay," NBC said in a statement at the time. "We are disappointed that she has chosen to leave, but we wish her all the best." Hall, who was unable to say goodbye to viewers on television due to her sudden departure, released a statement of her own: "The last 10 years have been beyond anything I could have imagined, and I'm grateful. I'm also very excited about the next chapter. To all my great colleagues, I will miss you and I will be rooting for you." Amid Kelly's fallout with NBC, Hall's fans began sending her messages on Twitter, asking of her whereabouts, likely an effort to signal their desire for her return to Today. One fan asked if anyone knew what Hall was "doing right now" and received a direct response from the journalist on Thursday. "I do!! I do!! See my pinned tweet about my syndicated talk show. Oh and raising money for @SafeHorizon Tamron Renate fund!" she wrote. "Oh and taping Season 6 of #deaglinecrime and oh 'livin' my best life.'" The 48-year-old added, "I hope that's enough." I do!! I do!! See my pinned tweet about my syndicated talk show. Oh and raising money for @SafeHorizon Tamron 💜Renate fund! Oh and taping Season 6 of #deadlinecrime and oh “livin’ my best life” 👀👀👀 I hope that’s enough 😉 https://t.co/s5YGdB5sjf — Tamron Hall (@tamronhall) October 25, 2018 Hall only seemed to add to fan theories about her possible return to NBC when she posted a snapshot of herself and Roker onstage at a Broadway musical on Thursday night.<doc-sep>Play video content NBC Al Roker got the last laugh in the Megyn Kelly disaster because sources connected with the network tell us, Roker will be back in the anchor chair during the 9 AM hour ... after being replaced by Kelly last year. Our network sources tell us, the network will go back to its tried-and-true formula of using existing NBC talent for the 9 AM show, and Roker will be a big part of that. Al had the 9 AM hour, but last year he was taken off the show ... to make room for Megyn later that year. We're told Al was bitterly disappointed but still gracious. Her ratings have been a disaster, affecting the show that followed with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford. As you know ... Roker called out Kelly for her blackface comment ... something that was a factor in Kelly's exit. The Monday show was anchored by Hoda and Al ... Hoda said today begins "a new chapter." It's unclear if Hoda will also be part of the 9 AM team. It seems unlikely, because she's already on from 7 - 9 AM and again at 10 AM.<doc-sep>With Megyn Kelly reportedly out at NBC, speculation is swirling around who could potentially replace her in the 9 a.m. time-slot of the "Today" show. The network famously replaced Tamron Hall and Al Roker's well-rated hour of "Today" to make way for Megyn Kelly and "Megyn Kelly Today" last year, which resulted in Hall's divisive exit from NBC altogether. Now that "Megyn Kelly Today" is reportedly coming to an end less than two seasons into its run, sources say that NBC is already thinking about a popular replacement: Kelly Clarkson. The singer, who is currently in her first season as a coach on NBC's "The Voice," is already venturing into daytime television with a talk show of her own, "The Kelly Clarkson Show," which Variety reported back in September was picked up by the NBC Owned Television Station Group. The move will give the show a presence in nearly 30% of US households when it premieres in the fall of 2019. Amid reports of Kelly's imminent exit from NBC, sources told Radar Online on Thursday that NBC network execs "think it might be perfect time to give [Kelly's] 'Today' time slot to Kelly, who has a huge fan base and is extremely well-liked and relatable." Not only is Clarkson already "a huge part of the NBC family," unlike Kelly who came from Fox News, but she is also reportedly "willing to take on any job thrown her way." Decision-makers at NBC also like the fact that Clarkson is anything but controversial. "Kelly is the most non-biased person on the planet, and does not have an ounce of racism in her," another source told Radar. Though nothing is confirmed in terms of a replacement for Megyn Kelly -- and likely wouldn't be until 2019 -- Clarkson would be a natural choice. Plus, Tamron Hall is already getting her own talk show at competitor network ABC.<doc-sep>
WATCH: Al Roker may be replacing Megyn Kelly on TODAY after she replaced HIM last year NBC has not made an official announcement about Kelly's replacement. Now that Megyn Kelly has been ousted from her seat on the TODAY Show, it looks like Al Roker may get some sweet revenge. According to TMZ, Roker has been tapped to replace Megyn Kelly during the 9am hour of the daily talk show, and it’s an interesting decision considering he had that spot before Kelly came in. Megyn Kelly dumped by agency and NBC starts talks to give her the boot after blackface comments While the network has yet to announce an official replacement for Megyn Kelly, Monday’s show featured Hoda Kotb and Al Roker as well as a promise of a “new chapter” on the show. Check out the video: Kelly reportedly sat down with NBC execs to discuss her exit and the possibility of covering more news and politics. This comes after months of criticism for her approach on hard-hitting topics and her inability to effectively articulate a deeper understanding of issues. Last week, the NBC daytime host surprised her viewers with a ridiculous question about whether the use of blackface on Halloween is really racist. The backlash was widespread and swift. “But what is racist?” Kelly pondered on Megyn Kelly Today to a panel that included Jenna Bush Hager, Jacob Soboroff and Melissa Rivers. “You truly do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface at Halloween or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween.” While NBC shooes Megyn Kelly away, Al Roker and Tamron Hall are seen hanging out Social media was quick to correct her ignorance and even NBC anchors slammed the former Fox News host. On Today, Craig Melvin called her tone-deaf comments “racist and ignorant.” Al Roker said on Twitter that Kelly “owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country.” Several outlets have reported that Megan Kelly is still negotiating her exit strategy, but will walk away from her gig with millions of dollars. Must be nice to get rich for making racist remarks on national television. #whiteprivilege Share