Matt Lauer is reportedly furious at the fact that his new ‘Today’ colleague Megyn Kelly has her name in the title of her new show, which has been dubbed ‘Megyn Kelly Today’. Kelly’s new show debuts on NBC at 9 am on September 25th, but if her colleagues have anything to say about it, her show will never make it there. A report from Radar Online claims that all of Megyn Kelly’s new colleagues, especially Matt Lauer, ‘flipped out’ over the news.
Radar’s source states, “Matt is livid. He thinks the entire first two hours should now be rebranded, ‘Matt Lauer Today!’” The source also adds, “Her name (Megyn Kelly) is above the title, and she is unproven. Kathie Lee Gifford has been a star for 20 years, and even her name isn’t above the Today title.”
Megyn Kelly’s role at NBC and the power and control she’s being given has reportedly been causing rifts among NBC’s stars, especially the ones who have been there the longest. Additionally, the Today show tends to be a fairly liberal-leaning news program, and Megyn Kelly is, of course, coming from Fox News.
The fact that NBC seems to be bending over backwards to give her everything she wants is likely to upset the other stars, especially the household names like Matt Lauer and Kathie Lee Gifford. Previous reports had suggested that Matt Lauer had felt especially ‘betrayed’ when he found out that NBC ‘went behind his back’ to hire Megyn Kelly, since he felt that he should be consulted on big hiring decisions as the network’s lead star.
It’s a case of clashing egos, but this sort of jealousy and bitterness is common among major networks, especially with competing stars. There’s always a fear of someone new coming in to replace the old guard, but NBC seems to be trying its best to diversify the voices on the show, even if they do seem to be going out of their way to give their newest star, Megyn Kelly, a bigger platform than their other stars.
What do you guys think about Matt Lauer’s fury over Megyn Kelly’s new show being called ‘Megyn Kelly Today’ while his name is not used to headline anything? Do you think he’s justified in his anger, or is he overreacting to the network’s decision? And for that matter, do you think it’s possible that the other network stars band together to demand that they also have their names on their shows?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And check back with CDL for more Megyn Kelly and Matt Lauer news and updates right here.
Photo Credit: Getty Images; Bravo