Tamron Hall said “all money’s not good money” when discussing why she turned down a multimillion-dollar contract with NBC in favor of self-worth.

Tamron Hall reveals she turned down $2 million contract with NBC when Today replaced her with Megyn Kelly

Tamron Hall said "all money's not good money" when discussing why she turned down a multimillion-dollar contract with NBC in favor of self-worth.

By Leigh Blickley

May 11, 2026 1:36 p.m. ET

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Tamron Hall; Megyn Kelly. Credit:

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images; L. Busacca/Getty

- Tamron Hall opened up about why she turned down a $2 million contract with NBC amid Megyn Kelly being hired on *Today*.

- The newscaster said she wanted to stand up for fellow Black women in journalism.

- Hall now hosts her own self-titled show on ABC.

Tamron Hall knows no amount of money is worth dimming your shine.

The longtime journalist, 55, opened up about turning down a multimillion-dollar contract with NBC in favor of her own worth after *Today* replaced her with Megyn Kelly in 2017.

"A text message came from my then-agent and he said, 'They're making a big change. You're no longer in. Here's what they're offering,'" Hall recalled to Scott Evans during a live show of his *House Guest* series.

Hall said she was working at *Dateline* and *MSNBC Live* at the time, and was on her way to the studio to tape an 11 a.m. segment when the contract came in.

"And [my agent] proceeded to bullet point in a text all these things that they were offering to keep me," Hall continued, noting the network offered her $2 million a year to stay amid her replacement with political commentator Kelly, also 55. "I sit in a chair and I go, I'm almost, like, blacking out because your whole life is flashing before you. I remember, 'I gotta text my mama.' That's the first person I text. I text my mom and I said, 'It's done.'"

She decided right then and there what she wanted to do: "I wrote my agent back and I said, 'I'll pass.'"

Evans was shocked to learn Hall turned down that amount of money but commended her for possessing that much self-confidence and faith that she'd move on in her career. Hall laughed before adding, "All money's not good money. It's not."

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Hall said her decision was celebrated by her mom, Mary Newton, who expressed how proud she was of her daughter in that moment.

"She said to me, 'I am so proud of you because do you know how many times we've had to get off the sidewalk for someone else to walk?' I thought about all the other young Black women in journalism, and I said, 'If they see me lose, they may think they can't win.' And that day is why I turned it down," Hall explained, adding that she did not want "to sound like I was a sacrifice or anything."

When Evans noted that she understood her position at one of the top morning shows in the world, Hall chimed in, "And I understood that that did not define me."

Sheinelle Jones, Tamron Hall, Carson Daly, and Dylan Dreyer appear on 'Today'.

Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

Hall chose to leave NBC rather than take on a lesser role. There was no goodbye episode or proper farewell, NBC simply shared a statement: "Tamron is an exceptional journalist, we valued and enjoyed her work at *Today* and *MSNBC* and hoped that she would decide to stay. We are disappointed that she has chosen to leave, but we wish her all the best.”

At the time, the National Association of Black Journalists slammed NBC's decision to trade Hall and Al Roker's hour on *Today *for Kelly, and accused the network of "whitewashing." A rep for NBC countered, saying their news organization "has a long and proven history as an industry leader in newsroom diversity.” The network later agreed to meet with representatives of NABJ to discuss the matter.

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Hall went on to front her own self-titled daytime talk show, which was just renewed for its eighth season at ABC. Kelly took over Hall's time-slot on *Today*, but was later let go by the network amid backlash to her insensitive comments related to the appropriateness of blackface on Halloween.

She later apologized, admitting, "I defended the idea, saying as long as it was respectful and part of a Halloween costume, it seemed okay. Well I am wrong and I am sorry."

Kelly was reportedly paid a total of $69 million (or about $23 million per year) by NBC, and now hosts two podcasts, *AM Update *and* The Megyn Kelly Show*.

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Source: “EW Morning”