Debra Messing says she regrets appearing on Monday’s episode of the TODAY show with host Megyn Kelly. The ‘Will & Grace’ cast appeared on the show as part of the reboot’s promotion. Kelly said offensive things regarding the LGBTQ community.
The former news anchor is having a rough beginning with her show since Jane Fonda’s Wednesday appearance also have a step-down.
‘Dismayed’ by Kelly’s comments
Just three days after its launch, Megyn Kelly’s new daytime talk show, Megyn Kelly Today. which fills the third hour of NBC’s Today Show, has already received plenty of analysis.
But perhaps the harshest feedback came from one of Kelly’s first-ever guests, actress Debra Messing.
In an Instagram post, Messing, star of the recently-revived hit ‘Will & Grace‘, said she regrets going on Kelly’s show and said she was “dismayed” by some of Kelly’s comments.
Messing, who appeared on Kelly’s debut episode alongside her ‘Will & Grace’ co-stars, was referring to a remark Kelly made to a fan of the sitcom that broke ground during its initial run by featuring openly gay characters.
The incident per se
When Kelly invited the audience member on stage to meet the ‘Will & Grace’ cast, she made what was perhaps an awkward attempt at a joke.
“Is it true that you became a lawyer—and you became gay—because of Will?” Kelly asked.
“I look at Will Truman and I’m like, ‘He has it made!’ Lawyer, best apartment in New York City, and gay?” he said. “Come on, trifecta.”
After awarding Turner passes to a live ‘Will & Grace’ taping, Kelly told Turner, “I think the ‘Will & Grace’ thing and the gay thing is going to work out great!”
Kelly’s comments stirred up criticism online, and the blowback spilled onto Messing’s Instagram account, with a user asking the actress why she appeared on the show.
“[H]onestly didn’t know it was [Megyn Kelly’s show] until that morning,” Messing wrote in response to the question.
“The itinerary just said Today Show appearance. Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments.”
Debra Messing is vocal about her activism
Messing, who identifies herself as an activist, has been vocal in her support of progressive causes of late. In May, she used her acceptance speech at the GLAAD awards to urge Ivanka Trump to stand on the “right side of history.”
“Let’s talk for a second, one Jewish mother to another,” Messing said after being honored with GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award.
“It’s not enough to say that women’s issues are important to you. It’s time to do something.”
Messing’s comment about Kelly’s show is also noteworthy because it’s an instance of one NBC star criticizing another. The Will & Grace reboot debuts on NBC on Thursday.
At the same time, it underscores the growing pains associated with Kelly’s on-going rebranding.
The former Fox News anchor, who publicly clashed with Donald Trump, is attempting to shed her conservative-leaning, politics-driven past. “The truth is, I am kinda done with politics for now,” she told her audience—to become a folksy, relatable talk show host.
A really rough beginning
Jane Fonda appeared on Megyn Kelly’s new daytime talk show, Megyn Kelly Today to promote her latest film, ‘Our Souls at Night’, along with co-star Robert Redford Wednesday morning.
The interview covered a lot of ground with the veteran actors. From their young Hollywood success to having starring roles near age 80. The chat was light until it veered wildly off course when Kelly asked Fonda about her plastic surgery.
“Do we really want to talk about that now?” replied Fonda, looking around bewilderedly and then towards Redford seemingly asking, “Is this really happening?”
That it did happen, but what deserves, even more, attention was the adept way Fonda and Redford handled it.
The setup for Kelly’s question began earlier in the interview.
“There is obviously ageism in a lot of businesses, including in Hollywood, so it’s nice to see not just a woman driving this story but two older actors front-lining. Have you felt that?” the former Fox News anchor asked.
The two actors answered the question without incident, and happily discussed their lives as aging artists.
Things got awkward after commercial break
But after the commercial break, Kelly returned to the topic, focusing on both Fonda and Redford’s legendary looks. After strolling down memory lane with Redford a bit, Kelly turned to Fonda.
“You’ve been an example to everyone in how to age beautifully, with strength, and unapologetically. You admit you’ve had work done, which I think is to your credit, but you look amazing,” she said.
“I’ve read that you’ve said that you felt you’re not proud to admit that you’ve had work done. Why not?”
That was when that Fonda asked if this was the right topic of discussion. Then she thanked Kelly for the compliment and quickly moved on to what was important to her—the film.
“Let me tell you what I love about this movie we did, ‘Our Souls at Night’, rather than plastic surgery,” she said.
Source: LA Times