It’s been awhile since we speculated on a fun Matt Lauer is About to Get Fired story.
And the one below is especially juicy!
According to the latest issue of In Touch Weekly, Megyn Kelly is being groomed to take over the lead anchor role on Today, just a few months after NBC hired her away from Fox News.
The controversial reporter signed a mega deal with the broadcast network at the outset of 2017.
She has since premiered a Sunday night news program that is tanking in the ratings and which may never recover from Kelly’s decision to interview right-wing radio host Alex Jones.
There’s also been chatter that Kelly’s eventual five-days-per-week morning show will take over for the third hour of Today, which is allegedly why Tamron Hall resigned in February.
(Hall did not cite Kelly by name in any statement and NBC has not commented on any rumor that Today will be affected by Kelly’s hiring.)
Lauer, meanwhile, has been under fire for years it seems.
Ratings for Today have plummeted since 2015, with CBS This Morning often beating it in viewership these days, a feat that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago.
So you can only imagine Lauer’s reaction upon seeing an In Touch Weekly cover that blares: Matt’s Out! Megyn Kelly Taking Over At Today.
Actually, you don’t need to imagine the reaction…
“Matt’s furious about what’s happening,” a source tells the tabloid, adding:
“They’re going to do everything in their power to make Megyn work. They’re laying the groundwork for her to become Matt’s successor at Today. He’s been supplanted by their new golden girl.”
Despite Kelly’s slow roll-out, this insider goes on to say she’s been “given the keys to the kingdom” and can basically take on any role she wants at NBC.
“What Megyn wants, Megyn gets… It’s going to be a big mess. And all Matt can do is stand by and watch,” concludes this bombshell, possibly erroneous cover story.
We cannot verify In Touch’s wild claims here, but we can say this isn’t the first time that Kelly’s arrival has reportedly created an upheaval at Today.
A staff shake-up was rumored back in March due to the possibility of Kelly entering the morning show scene, with insiders at the time saying Megyn was insisting on bringing her own crew along with her.
This would mean that more than just on-air personalities could be out of a job.
“It is a mess and causing massive internal drama,” wrote Radar this spring. “The staff at The Today show’s 9 and 10 am hour do not know if they should be looking for new jobs.”
Might that also now be the case for the staff at the opening hour, including Lauer himself?
Time, some might say, will tell.
