Matt Lauer is set to leave NBC’s Today in December when his contract is up and now sources close to the talk show host say he’s willing to stay…if NBC puts up a heap of cash.
Lauer is currently earning $17 million a year for his work on Today and sources say he is willing to stay on the show if they up that amount to $30 million a year.
If that source is to be believed Lauer decided he would make a big offer after hearing that NBC officials were looking to hire Ryan Seacrest as Matt Lauer’s replacement. Basically Lauer got jealous and didn’t want his relationship to NBC ending on a Seacreast note.
The other school of thought is that Matt Lauer has always wanted to keep his job but chose to use the “I’m leaving” card so he could ask for a massive $30 million payday.
It’s hard to tell if the network will bite however Today is by far the highest earning property for NBC, earning more than $450 million per year.
NBC hasn’t confirmed whether they have received a Matt Lauer offer for $30 million. At this time a poll on TMZ reveals that only 25% of respondents think Matt Lauer is worth keeping at the higher number, then again the TMZ crowd isn’t necessarily the Today Show crowd.
Do you think Matt Lauer is worth $30 million a year to NBC?
