NBC’s Today has been making so many bad, perhaps brand-ruining decisions lately—from embarrassing new hires to shameful firings—that no additional shakeup should surprise me, but a rumor reported Thursday managed to do so anyway. Page Six reports Megyn Kelly may “unseat” Savannah Guthrie (who is currently on maternity leave) as Matt Lauer’s co-anchor. Fuck.
They continue:
Multiple sources tell Page Six that Kelly is likely to take the lead role on the NBC morning show with Lauer when she starts in September. Guthrie, who recently signed a new long-term deal with “Today,” could be bumped to another role or even take over Hall’s 9 a.m. slot, we’re told.
The sources go on to say that Kelly is making far too much money to be given just one hour of the program. One added that a salary of “$12 to $15 million “doesn’t make sense unless she’s on at 7 a.m.”
Though I’m personally inclined to trust Page Six’s media gossip, Today SVP Noah Oppenheim, says I shouldn’t. “Let me say this for the last time and as clearly as possible,” he told them. “This is never ever going to happen.”
Why would I believe what a Today executive tells the public about the show’s future, when they reportedly didn’t even tell their highest paid star about Kelly’s deal until moments “before it was announced to the public”? Rumors that they want to transform NBC into “the next Fox News” are starting to make more and more sense by the day.