Matt Lauer and the Today show’s new executive producer are already butting heads, according to a Radar Online source. Lauer and the new head honcho, Alexandra Wallace, allegedly have a “tense” relationship and cannot agree on the direction the struggling morning show take in the near future. Fox News notes that Wallace took the helm yesterday.
The new Today show executive producer also supposedly has a close friendship with former co-anchor Ann Curry . Lauer and Curry allegedly did not part on the best of terms. After Ann left her spot on the couch vacant, Today’s ratings took a turn for the worse. Good Moring America was able to kick Today out of the top ratings spot it had enjoyed for many years.
The Radar Online source had this to say about Matt Lauer and Alexandra Wallace:
“Matt Lauer is not happy that Jim Bell who had been the executive producer of the TODAY show since 2005 has been forced out. Alexandra Wallace, who will be Bell’s replacement, and Matt have never had a good working relationship. Matt doesn’t like the fact that Alexandra is a big advocate of Ann Curry’s. Alexandra is going to be shaking things up on the show in order to get it back on top. For instance, against Matt and Jim Bell’s long-time stance of only having NBC-paid experts to comment on current events in the news, which has made the show feel very, very stale, Alexandra plans on using non-NBC staffers to do that.”
The new Today show executive producer allegedly feels that using a diverse array of experts will offer a wider range of information and knowledge for the viewers. Matt Lauer supposedly wants to keep the standard format of frequently using NBC staffers like Donnie Deutsch and Star Jones. The new boss supposedly plans on continuing the familiar faces, just not as much.
