Logo

Trouble at NBC News? One Report Says Matt Lauer Threw Megyn Kelly Under the Bus

Oct 30, 2017  •  Post A Comment

In a report running under the headline “Matt Lauer Throws Megyn Kelly Under the Bus,” The New York Post’s Page Six reports that Lauer isn’t exactly rushing to defend his fellow “Today” host Kelly as she endures a rocky start for her hour of the NBC morning show.

“When an industry insider remarked to Lauer last week that celebrities are being advised to avoid Kelly’s ‘Megyn Kelly Today’ — amid ratings struggles and awkward snafus with famous guests — a Page Six spy overheard Lauer reply that he ‘gets it,’ adding, ‘It’s a big problem for them,’ meaning Kelly’s show. Insiders were stunned that the veteran ‘Today’ host didn’t try to defend his new colleague.”

Kelly’s biggest problem appears to be hanging onto viewers, but other issues since her recent debut have included tech gaffes and issues with celebrity guests Jane Fonda and Debra Messing.

“In September — just two days into her run as host of the 9 a.m. hour of ‘Today’ — Kelly upset Fonda by bringing up the actress’ plastic surgery past,” The Post reports. “Messing said that she ‘regretted’ appearing on the show after an awkward moment during which Kelly asked a ‘superfan’ audience member, ‘Is it true that you became a lawyer, and you became gay, because of [co-star Eric McCormack’s character] Will?’”

Meanwhile, Kelly’s soft ratings may be affecting “Kathie Lee & Hoda.”

The Post quotes a source saying: “This week was the lowest Kathie and Hoda have rated since 2010. It keeps getting worse. Megyn is killing them. It is a real problem and no one wants to book Megyn’s show.”

For its part, “Today” was downplaying any drama. The report quotes a rep for the show saying: “Sounds like a few troublemakers are trying to stir up drama where there just isn’t any. Everyone’s doing just fine at the ‘Today’ show.”

“Megyn Kelly Today” (NBC)

4 Comments

  1. “It’s a big problem” is not throwing Kelly under the bus.

  2. Matt is a diva who appears threatened by “Ms. Megyn.” He is a c-word and will be the next to go as the demo is aging and he is expensive for the return on investment. Kathy and Hoda may be experiencing their own erosion. Certainly low numbers to lead in do not help their show, but I do not believe for one moment that it is entirely due to Megyn Kelly.

  3. “Insiders were stunned that the veteran ‘Today’ host didn’t try to defend his new colleague.” Really? Not acknowledging facts and denying the obvious is what those “insiders” expected? He should have stuck up for her and ignored reality? Don’t we have enough of that already?

  4. Not a fan of Ms. Kelly (or Mr. Lauer – nothing against them but NBC could take both off the air tomorrow and it would not bother me in the least) but to lay all or even most of the blame about bad ratings at Megyn Kelly’s feet is a mistake. It is the format of the show that is the biggest problem. A one host show does not fit in with the other “Today” hours..Though the ratings would be slightly better with someone else, someone familiar to the “Today” audience, the ratings would still be soft regardless of who was hosting simply because of the format. Assuming NBC does not just jettison the host and show completely (I just do not see the execs admitting they made a mistake and doing that) it would not surprise me at all if they quietly retool the format and either add a familiar to the Today audience co-host or start daily rotating in guest co-hosts.

Leave a Reply to Mike Cancel Reply

Email (will not be published)