Megyn Kelly is leaving Fox News after 12 years to join NBC, her publicist has confirmed.
The anchor will host her own daytime news and discussion program at NBC, as well as presenting an in-depth Sunday night news show.
The move deprives Fox News of its second most-popular host after Bill O’Reilly.
Megyn Kelly’s contract with Fox was due to end later this year.
She was pushed into the international spotlight in 2015 when she accused Donald Trump of misogyny during a Republican presidential debate.
Megyn Kelly later said that she would “not apologize for doing good journalism”, following criticism from Donald Trump’s supporters.
NBC News chairman Andrew Lack called Megyn Kelly “an exceptional journalist” who has “demonstrated tremendous skill and poise”.
“We’re lucky to have her,” Andrew Lack said.
Further details of Megyn Kelly’s news programs will be unveiled by NBC in the coming months, the company said in a statement on January 3.
Megyn Kelly, a lawyer-turned-journalist, joined Fox News’ Washington bureau as a correspondent before being given her own prime-time show, the Kelly File.
The New York mother-of-three began her career as a local news reporter in 2003, after nine years in law.
During the election campaign, Megyn Kelly challenged Donald Trump on his statements about women.
Megyn Kelly’s accusation of misogyny against Donald Trump made her a target for his supporters and the subject of attacks from the billionaire himself.
Donald Trump accused Megyn Kelly of having “blood coming out of her wherever”, later denying he was referring to menstruation.
In a move described by Fox News as “unprecedented”, Donald Trump later refused to participate in shows hosted by Megyn Kelly.
Donald Trump has renewed his feud with the Fox News host Megyn Kelly.
Republican presidential frontrunner said Megyn Kelly, who returned to her show on August 24 after a break, “must have had a terrible vacation” because “she’s really off her game”.
Fox News chief Roger Ailes has demanded an apology, describing Donald Trump’s verbal attack as “disturbing”.
It comes two weeks after controversy over Donald Trump’s remarks about Megyn Kelly following the first Republican debate.
In a CNN interview, Donald Trump said the Fox presenter “had blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever” to describe the way she questioned him during the debate over comments he had made about women.
Donald Trump was subsequently dropped as a speaker at a major conservative forum, and his comment was denounced by rival Republican candidates.
But it did not stop him from continuing his verbal attack of Megyn Kelly during her show on August 24, tweeting: “Kelly File was much better without Megyn Kelly. Her replacement while she was out on vacation was much better!”
Fox News chairman Roger Ailes, who had cleared the air with Donald Trump after the debate, reacted strongly to the “surprise and unprovoked attack” on his news host. In a statement read aloud on the channel, he said it was “as unacceptable as it is disturbing”.
Megyn Kelly “represents the very best of American journalism and all of us at Fox News Channel reject the crude and irresponsible attempts to suggest otherwise,” he added, demanding an apology.
Some of Megyn Kelly’s colleagues also came to her defense, including Bret Baier, her co-host for the debate, who tweeted “this needs to stop”.
Donald Trump seemed unfazed by the criticism, saying he disagreed with Roger Ailes’ statement and that he did not consider Megyn Kelly “a quality journalist”.
Donald Trump has taken the lead in the polls ahead of the 16 other Republican candidates, despite a string of controversial remarks since launching his campaign.
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