Last year, on Friday, September 22, Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones appeared for what was presumed to be the last time as the co-anchors of the Today show’s 9 a.m. slot, handing over the reins to Megyn Kelly.
The Today’s Take team welcomed Kelly, who would host Megyn Kelly Today, as part of the morning show family after she was a high-priced free agent fresh off Fox News.
But thirteen months later, Kelly is negotiating an exit from her staggering three-year NBC contract that is reportedly worth $69 million, writes Vanity Fair. She ignited scandal last week over her now-notorious blackface remarks, and her future career is looking more and more uncertain. So what will fill the empty hour on the Today show?
One source told Vanity Fair that insiders think the most logical thing would be to get the old band back together again — Roker, Dreyer and Jones— because that would save the network money in terms of salary and studio costs (Kelly was paid a fortune and her show was taped in front of a live audience).
“Rather than doing something splashy again, it makes sense to go back to what was there,” the source told Vanity Fair.
No matter what, it is safe to say Today will recover from whatever damage Kelly caused. The ratings are still strong and Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb are thriving as the main co-hosts a year after the bigger crisis of Matt Lauer’s firing over sexual misconduct.
Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.
