Her meeting at Trump Tower appears to have paid off. Fox News just announced that Megyn Kelly has secured an interview with Donald Trump — her first with Trump as a candidate.
It will air on Megyn Kelly Presents, Kelly’s first prime time special for Fox airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT May 17. Extended portions will air on The Kelly File the following night.
“Mr. Trump and I sat down together for a meeting earlier this month at my request. He was gracious with his time and I asked him to consider an interview. I am happy to announce he has agreed, and I look forward to a fascinating exchange — our first sit-down interview together in nearly a year.” A date and place for the interview has not been set.
Kelly co-moderated each of Fox News Channel’s three GOP primary debates, alongside Bret Baier and Chris Wallace. It was that first debate on August 6, 2015, which involved her exchange with Trump that touched off a months-long, one-sided feud that included Trump Tweets filled with Kelly put-downs. By March it had gotten so bad, FNC chairman Roger Ailes called on Trump to apologize to Kelly.
With 24 million viewers, that first debate was also the most-watched non-sports cable telecast of all time. The Fox special won’t likely get anywhere near that number (the network’s biggest hit, Empire, is averaging 11.8 million viewers) but it will certainly give a spike to a mid-May Tuesday night for Fox, while, ironically, siphoning off viewers from Fox News Channel. The O’Reilly Factor airs on FNC at that time.