Megyn Kelly's old boss, chief of NBCUniversal Steve Burke, admits the former Fox News staffer was a poor fit for the 9 a.m. "Today" time slot.

The exec spoke with "Variety" for a piece that published online Monday, three days after she finalized her exit deal. The trade magazine and CNN report the network will pay Kelly the remaining portion of her contract, reportedly around $30 million.

“News organizations like ours should take risks,” stressed Burke, who takes credit for hiring Kelly. “I went over and told (Kelly) she should come here.”

“Megyn Kelly was a huge talent," he reasoned. "She was at the wrong time of day (on NBC). In hindsight, we shouldn’t have done it."

Kelly's morning program was canceled in October after its host defended blackface as part of Halloween dress-up.

Burke also reflected on the November 2017 firing of longtime "Today" anchor Matt Lauer, for "inappropriate sexual behavior," while defending NBC News chairman Andy Lack.

"I’m 100 percent behind Andy,” Burke emphasized to Variety. "Matt Lauer was a grenade that we didn’t know was a grenade.

"I was here seven years," he continued, "and I thought Matt Lauer was the greatest interviewer in news.”

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