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The Today Show is still recovering from that messy Ann Curry incident and now we might have some new drama unfolding. According to a new report Today show anchors, Natalie Morales and Willie Geist have been fired in a shake-up at the show and “were recently told they were fired.” Morales may have jumped ship to ABC, NBC’s worst enemy when it comes to ratings, while Geist may move on to CBS.
It had also been reported that Morales planned to move on since she was unhappy at The Today Show according to Page Six. Morales and fellow co-host, Tamron Hall have allegedly bumped heads for a while now. “There’s a lot of tension. Natalie and Tamron are competitive, and there was a big blowup in October between the two. Deborah [NBC News President Deborah Turness] has an issue with Natalie and has sided with Tamron. There has been zero communication between Deborah and Natalie for a long period of time. It’s the talk of NBC staff.” Of course all the fighting has been downplayed and denials have been issued.
We’ll wait and see how it all plays out!
Update: “An insider told TheWrap the duo were not actually terminated and are still with NBC, but ousting them was a key part of Horowitz’s plan. A spokesperson for NBC News has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment on the duo’s employment status.” It was actually SVP and General Manager of “Today” Jamie Horowitz who was fired after he planned the shakeup and the co-hosts learned of their possible terminations and the tables were turned on him.
Second Update: NBC released a statement, “The entire Today show anchor team — Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Natalie Morales, Willie Geist, Carson Daly, Tamron Hall, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb — are incredibly talented, valued and have our support. In response to the false rumors that have been circulated about our anchor team, NBC wants to be absolutely clear: The rumors are wrong — period. This is the team we are committed to. And this is the team that our viewers turn to in the morning.”
Photo from NBC