‘Today’ Faces More Crisis And Megyn Kelly Isn’t A ‘Viable’ Savior For The Problem, Source Says
Today faces more crisis and Megyn Kelly isn’t a “viable” savior of the show, according to a new report. Unsurprisingly, the dismal ratings of her 9 a.m. hour of the show aren’t helping executives with the ongoing issue of finding a new co-anchor for the first two hours of Today.
November sweeps was suppose to produce better results, even for Megyn’s show. An industry insider tells Page Six said Today’s third hour performed the worst ever for the 9 a.m. time slot across all demos. Commanding a $23 million annual salary, more is expected from the former Fox News star. The fact that her ratings in November were so bad is said to be especially problematic for NBC bosses.
The big problem is finding a replacement for Matt Lauer, according to the report. The source alleges that Lauer’s jealousy of male competition essentially “killed off” any candidates who could’ve succeeded him.
“Matt killed off, in their infancy, every man who could succeed him at the time that he was ready to hang it up — so there’s nobody to take his place,” the source tells Page Six. “And now NBC is paying the price.”
Those not considered to replace Matt Lauer are David Gregory, Billy Bush, and Josh Elliott. Bush reportedly had his sights set on Lauer’s position, but the Access Hollywood tape with Donald Trump in October 2016 put a stop to that when his contract with the network was promptly terminated.
The insider explains that the male front runner is Craig Melvin, a Weekend Today host that one network executive remarked couldn’t be picked “out of a lineup.”
Matt Lauer’s jealousy of rivals has left the Today Show without a replacement https://t.co/OPiqLAAqes
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) December 5, 2017
With all of the talk that Megyn Kelly would helm Today‘s first segment alongside Savannah Guthrie is merely speculation at this point. An NBC source tells Page Six that Megyn isn’t angling for Matt Lauer’s place. Moreover, a source tells Entertainment Tonight that executives plan to keep Megyn where she is and are reportedly considering Willie Geist as a potential replacement for Lauer. ET emphasized that multiple sources tell them Megyn isn’t expected to fill Lauer’s shoes.
The Daily Mail stated that the rumblings by Today staff that took place behind the scenes after Megyn Kelly said on the same day of Lauer’s firing that she’d heard rumors about his inappropriate behaviors, reprimanding his actions on-screen. An NBC insider said that Megyn basically “lost the support of everyone” and that her actions were essentially viewed as shining the spotlight on herself.
