'Today' ratings are up after the departure of Megyn Kelly: 'It's fun again'

Since Megyn Kelly left Today in October following her remarks about blackface, more people are watching the NBC morning show.

Nielsen ratings show a 10 percent increase in the type of viewers advertisers prefer during the show’s final hour — women ages 18-49 — and gains in other categories too. They broke down the numbers at Deadline: an average of 2.52 million viewers for Kelly’s last week on the air increased to 2.64 million viewers the week immediately after her departure and settled at 2.63 last week.

Part of that jump is made up of viewers who are once again making the show part of their morning routine. They’re coming back for programming that’s being hosted by the Today personalities that remain: Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Jenna Bush Hager, Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin.

Those numbers apply to the week after Kelly’s Megyn Kelly Today was unexpectedly canceled, following the former Fox News anchor’s Oct. 23 defense of people wearing blackface in Halloween costumes and her teary apology the following day. Kelly and the network are reportedly still negotiating the terms of her exit from NBC.

Today viewers have made it clear on Twitter that they approve of the staffing change.

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