Voters will head to the polls on November 8 to decide the next President of the United States. Soon, Megyn Kelly will have a significant decision of her own to make: Her employment future. Will Kelly stay at Fox News or will she take her talents elsewhere? Kelly’s contract with Fox News expires in July 2017, and according to Vanity Fair’s Sarah Ellison, Rupert Murdoch’s sons James and Lachlan Murdoch, now the CEO and co-chairman of 21st Century Fox, respectively, are playing a pivotal role in persuading the network’s brightest star to stick around for the foreseeable future.
Kelly and the younger Murdochs have been close for years. They are all in their early-to-mid-40s, and can espouse views that can be out of lockstep with the network’s hard-right narrative. Kelly, who spoke to lawyers from Paul, Weiss during their investigation, was indeed a pivotal figure in the Ailes ouster. And throughout it all, according to a person familiar with the matter, Kelly spoke multiple times with Murdoch family members. “Lachlan was the one who talked to her throughout this entire ordeal,” this person told me earlier this summer. “James loves Megyn,” this person continued. “He believes she’s a big part of the future of this channel.” According to a person close to Kelly, she has dined at the younger Murdoch’s homes twice in the past several months.
Negotiations are expected to begin just after the election. The L.A. Times has reported that Kelly earns around $10 million a year at Fox News, and she could possibly command double that amount, a figure more in line with Bill O’Reilly reportedly earns. That said, no decision has been made. Kelly has already begun promoting her memoir Settle for More on her show. It goes on sale next month.