Natalie Morales was rumored to have been fired from her job on Wednesday. The New York Post, however, reports that this isn’t true. In fact, they say Matt Lauer saved Natalie Morales–along with Savannah Guthrie and Willie Geist–from losing their jobs.
The anchor team at the Today Show was reportedly about to be split up for good. Savannah was going to be replaced with Hoda Kotb, and Natalie Morales was being shipped off to make room for Tamron Hall or maybe even Josh Elliott. He is expected to take a larger role at Today with a possibility of unseating Matt Lauer when his $20 million-a-year contract expires in 2016.
Matt Lauer supposedly intervened for Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie earlier this week, bringing his concerns to NBC News President Deborah Turness. Following his bidding, top show executive Jamie Horowitz was fired.
No, @NMoralesNBC and @WillieGeist were not fired from the @Todayshow. http://t.co/TQYuW0FME2 pic.twitter.com/hIyv1xFRDm
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) November 20, 2014
Turness was said to have been fully aware of Jamie Horowitz’s plan to shake up the anchor roster on the show, sources told the New York Post, but, “once the talent complained, she sided with them,” and Horowitz was fired after only 10 weeks on the job. Insiders said his direct approach had offended some show staffers, who–like Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie–reportedly feared for their jobs.
Has this latest purported action on behalf of Matt Lauer now elevated him to ‘good guy’ status on The Today Show? He–and the network–have fought to restore that status ever since Ann Curry’s firing as co-anchor back in June of 2012.
Do Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie have Matt Lauer to thank for saving their jobs on Today? Or is there just some big Today Show soap opera in play here that insiders at the show are trying to keep in the limelight?