She is one of the most powerful women in the news, watched by millions of fans each day and capable of piercing every interviewee with a killer question - including Donald Trump.

So it is perhaps no surprise that when Megyn Kelly hinted she could leave Fox News, the network where she has worked for the last 12 years, earlier this week it caused a stir.

But insiders told Page Six that the host is unlikely to bolt, and is using the threat as a bargaining chip to push her salary closer to that of male rivals, such as Bill O'Reilly, who earns $15million.

Megyn Kelly hinted that she might leave Fox News this week, but insiders say the threat is a bargaining chip so she can demand a pay rise making her equal to male rivals such as Bill O-Reilly

Kelly is reported to earn $9million a year once salary and ratings bonuses are taken into account, whereas O'Reilly, who has topped the ratings table at Fox since 2001, earns between $15million and $17million

The source said: 'This sounds like a negotiating tactic. Megyn will take meetings with others but she has the best platform at Fox News.

'[Kelly will demand] a salary as high as other top men in the news business and equal to that of her rival, Bill O'Reilly.'

Fox News hosts earn a basic salary with large financial incentives linked to their ratings, a table which O'Reilly has topped since 2001.

According to Page Six, O'Reilly regularly earns between $15million and $17million per year, compared to Kelly's $9million.

The magazine quotes their source as saying Kelly is unlikely to garner that kind of wage from any other network, and so will likely stay put.

Kelly criticized O'Reilly recently, saying she was hurt he failed to defend her against Trump's attacks when he pulled out of the Iowa debate she moderated in January.

Kelly, who has been at Fox News for 12 years, told Variety 'never say never' when asked if she might leave the network this week

Kelly did however say: 'I think Bill did the best he's capable of doing in those circumstances.'

On Wednesday Kelly hinted that she might leave Fox after being asked by a Variety reporter if she's decided whether or not to stay at the network after the election.

Kelly responded: 'I haven't'. The 45-year-old journalist went on to say that she loves her boss, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes, but that her job causes a lot of 'brain damage'.

'Never say never. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’ve had a great 12 years here, and I really like working for Roger Ailes. I really like my show, and I love my team.

'But you know, there’s a lot of brain damage that comes from the job. There was probably less brain damage when I worked in the afternoon. I was less well known. I had far less conflict in my life.

'I also have three kids who are soon going to be school from 8am to 3pm I come to work at 3:30. I like to see my children.

'Having said that, my boss has been good about working with me to make me happy - he knows I’m a hard worker. I’ve had few problems here where I couldn’t talk to him and say, “Can we work something out?,” and come away happy,' Kelly said.

Kelly's public profile was raised this year when she incited the fury of Donald Trump for her tough questions at the first GOP debate in August.

Since then, the Donald has continued to call Kelly a 'bimbo' and other disparaging comments on Twitter, putting the conservative network in the difficult position of defending their star anchor, while at the same time maintaining an open line of communication with the Republican front-runner.

While Kelly says she doesn't blame Ailes for not condemning Trump more for his abuses against her, she says the situation has nonetheless been awkward.

'Fox News has been in a tough position. They care about me and they are not afraid of a fight, but we’re in unchartered territory.

'I’ve had many conversations with [Ailes] about the situation. I think it’s been hard on him, too. I don’t think he’s enjoyed one piece of this.

'He can see what happens in my life when Trump starts off. He really wants him to stop, but on the other hand, he’s not going to run a news channel that doesn’t provide access to the Republican frontrunner for president,' Kelly said.

When pressed about what options she sees in her future, Kelly pretty much shot down hosting a daytime talk show or morning news.

Kelly, already a prominent anchor, has seen her profile jump considerably this year thanks in part to her willingness to challenge Republican frontrunner Donald Trump (file image)

Kelly says she's thought about hosting her own talk show but isn't sure 'what the market looks like for that in 2016' and just doesn't think 'that's the perfect thing for me'.

As for co-hosting a morning show like NBC's Today, Kelly said she's tried that before and she's not much of a morning person.

'You have to wake up so early. The alarm goes off at 3:30am. When I did “America’s Newsroom,” which started at 9am, I remember saying to the makeup artist at the time, "If you could only know the afternoon me, you’d like me so much better,"' Kelly said.

If Kelly does indeed decide to leave her long-time network, one thing is certain - she won't be unemployed for long.

After her performance during the first GOP debates, several executives at rival networks told Daily Mail Online that Kelly was a hot commodity who could be the next Barbara Walters or Diane Sawyer.

'Because of her commanding presence at the debate, Megyn's the hottest property in TV News for now and into the future,' revealed a news executive for one of the three networks who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak.