“Megyn Kelly Today” has been lauded for extensively addressing the ongoing Me Too movement to expose sexual harassment and abuse, but a disgruntled ex-employee recently sent around an email claiming that the show has a “completely toxic” environment in which young female assistants are “abused and harassed” by female executives.
Kevin Bleyer sent the email to his former colleagues after he was fired from his position as head writer the week after filing complaints with NBC News president Noah Oppenheimer and NBC HR. The email included a detailed dossier documenting a host of complaints against the show’s two most senior executives, co-executive producers Jackie Levin and Christine Cataldi.
Megyn Kelly staffer Kevin Bleyer fired after reporting ‘toxic and demeaning’ work culture https://t.co/tcAV3SbNty via @pagesix
— zeta cross (@zetaz) January 19, 2018
According to Bleyer, Cataldi regularly calls her assistant Katrina “an idiot” while Levin responded to construction criticism from Bleyer by calling him a “f—— whiner.”
Bleyer writes: “It is a special absurdity – and what some find a hard-to-swallow injustice – that as a team we’ve been lauded for covering harassment stories daily on air, while the staff producing those stories feels so embattled and bullied themselves.” However, he didn’t suggest that Kelly herself is aware of the issue.
Employees of the show have affirmed Bleyer’s claims. According to one NBC insider, “Megyn harps on about people having a voice and shining a light in dark places, so that’s what Kevin did. Here’s the problem, Megyn’s show doesn’t practice what she preaches – you do that on her show, you get fired! It’s a joke.”
However, neither Bleyer nor anyone else has suggested that Kelly herself is aware of the issues. According to another NBC News insider: “We don’t believe that Megyn had any idea that this is happening. Jackie manages up well and Megyn is no doubt under the impression that all is well on her show. Put simply – it’s not.”
Unsurprisingly, other NBC insiders claim that Bleyer’s claims are bogus, with one saying that he “is a recently fired temporary employee, who has never worked in a high-pressured news environment, and was not up to performing his job.” Another added, “He has a clear axe to grind.”
Prior to working for Megyn’s Kelly show, Bleyer worked for Jon Stewart, Bill Maher, and President Obama, who apparently aren’t as high-pressure as Kelly.
Considering the recent scandals that have plagued NBC, included extensive and aided and abetted sexual harassment by ex-lead anchor Matt Lauer, it’s hard not to believe Bleyer’s claims. Hopefully Kelly will heed the dossier and practice what she preaches by looking into the matter and firing some people.
Share this to help spread the word about the toxic and hypocritical environment at NBC!
