The Biggest Scandals The Today Show Has Seen

For over 70 years, we have enjoyed ‘Today,’ the morning show that paved the way for every one of its competitors to come. In fact, hitting the small screen in 1952 means ‘Today’ is the fifth longest-running show across the US, earning millions and millions of fans in the years since.

Even though the show has seen a huge host of famous names come and go throughout the years, things have been far from smooth for the morning show in that time. In fact, the biggest scandals ‘The Today Show’ has seen have more than rocked the airwaves.

The first host of The Today Show was paired with a chimpanzee

What happens when you want to get a show off the ground? If you’re like ‘Today,’ you pull everything out of the bag. That was the case in 1951 when NBC landed David Garroway as the first host of the morning show, following on from his success as the host of the variety show ‘Garroway at Large.’

Things didn’t go well for the show, and the network wanted to get more people tuning in. That’s how they ended up employing a co-anchor named J. Fred Muggs a year after ‘Today’ launched. The twist? Fred was a trained chimpanzee who was spotted by an executive at the network when he dipped a donut into a cup of coffee.

The relationship between David Garroway and J. Fred Muggs was allegedly extremely tumultuous

It seemed adding a chimpanzee was all the show needed to get off the ground as J. Fred Muggs saw ‘The Today Show’s ratings rapidly turn around. Still, it's believed things were far from smooth for the two anchors. In Robert Metz's book 'The Today Show: An Inside Look at 25 Tumultuous Years,' he said things were "on-again, off-again."

Robert accused David Garroway of things like putting narcotics in Fred's orange juice or slamming the chimp's hands in a drawer when he thought Fred was stealing the scene. By 1957, Fred's contract was up, with a statement claiming the chimp was looking to "expand his personal horizons." However, theories claim it's because David was through with the chimp.

Tamron Hall allegedly quit The Today Show because of Megyn Kelly

Even though Tamron Hall joined the NBC News family in 2007, it wasn’t until 2014 that she became a part of ‘Today’s Take,’ the 9 am slot of ‘The Today Show.’ Becoming the first African-American woman to be an anchor on the show was a huge moment for everyone, but things rapidly went downhill by February 2017.

NBC wanted to shake things up on the show by bringing in Megyn Kelly from ‘Fox News.’ the issue? Rumors claim Tamron decided to quit before she was publicly forced out of ‘The Today Show.’ In the end, she walked away from the entire network, with Tamron stating she was “very excited about the next chapter.”

Megyn Kelly made remarks about “blackface” during one Today show segment in 2018

Megyn Kelly joined ‘Today’ in 2017, but by the following year, NBC announced that her time with the show was over. Megyn had been a part of the show for 13 months when a segment aired on October 23, 2018, turned that on its head. Here, Megyn spoke about controversial Halloween costumes, particularly “blackface” costumes.

The host was speaking to an all-white panel when she mentioned that when she “was a kid,” it was “okay as long as you were dressing up.” Perhaps in a bid to undo the comments she made, later in the show, Megyn added that she “can’t keep up” with all the “people that we’re offending” by “being normal people.”

The backlash was so severe that Megyn Kelly was fired immediately

It wasn’t until the show came to an end that Megyn Kelly and the rest of ‘The Today Show’ cast and crew realized just how badly the host’s comments had been taken. In fact, NBC announced that Megyn had been let go from her contract three days after the segment aired, with people quick to share their thoughts.

Fans of ‘Today’ and even people working with Megyn at NBC were quick to share how outraged they were by the anchor’s comments. As a result, Megyn emailed an apology note to all of her staff before tearfully apologizing to the nation on air the following day. What she didn’t know was this would be her last live segment.

A former head writer for Today was allegedly fired for reporting bullying behind the scenes

One of the many things that came out during Megyn Kelly’s short stint with ‘The Today Show’ were allegations that things were far from smooth behind the scenes. In fact, the former head writer for ‘Megyn Kelly Today’ - Kevin Bleyer - claimed that he was fired from the show in January 2018 for reporting bullying from co-executive producers.

Kevin stated Christine Cataldi and Jackie Levin had allegedly been bullying junior staff members in an email later obtained by the Daily Mail. Here, Kevin claimed Christine labeled her assistant an “idiot,” while Jackie supposedly “scapegoated” his staff and called Kevin a “whiner,” while also pointing out the hypocrisy of covering high-profile harassment stories on the show.

Kanye West spoke out against videos of him playing while on The Today Show

Kanye West is now known for being a pretty controversial figure, but that wasn’t entirely the case back in November 2010. This was the same month the rapper was invited onto ‘Today’ for an interview with Matt Lauer. The anchor was always known for his aggressive interviewing techniques, but Kanye was less than impressed with his questions.

Here, Kanye was asked about his infamous comments about former Presidents of the United States when talking about a Hurricane Katrina telethon and the time he confronted Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs. Apparently, the questions weren’t the problem, but the fact that ‘Today’ was playing the clips in the background of the entire interview.

The rapper later took to social media to call out his Today Show experience

During the interview, Kanye West told Matt Lauer that they didn’t need to “show me the tape in order to prompt my emotions.” Things got even worse as the interview went on, with the rapper asking, “how am I supposed to talk" if they were going to play the videos with audio while he was trying to speak.

Kanye continued his rant on social media, stating he was “trying to give the interview” before warning, “don’t mess with Matt Lauer or the Today show,” adding, “that’s a very nice way for me to put it!” The rapper continued that Matt “TRIED TO FORCE MY ANSWERS” and was “BRUTAL,” with the rapper being the only one with “POSITIVE INTENT.”

The Today Show unfortunately wrongly captioned Amy Winehouse's music video

Millions of fans around the world stood still on July 23, 2011, when the news that Amy Winehouse had passed away spread through the headlines. The legendary musician was just 27 years old, with her addictions and personal battles often playing out in the media throughout her life. Sadly, 'Today' did the unthinkable when covering the news.

The show was meant to be running a clip of Amy's music video captioned 'You Know I'm No Good." The problem? They got the 'You Know I'm' part right but missed out 'No Good' in favor of the news the singer had passed away. It might have been an accident, but it wasn't a good look for the show.

Kathie Lee Gifford admitted to feeling “crippling loneliness” at one stage

If anyone was going to name the perfect person to host a morning show, there’s a good chance Kathie Lee Gifford’s name would come up more than a few times. Her cheerful personality was an instant hit on ‘Today,’ but it turns out things might have been far from sunshine and roses behind the scenes for the anchor.

In 2015, Kathie lost her husband, Frank, followed by the passing of her mother two years later. In 2019, Kathie admitted to AARP The Magazine that she went through her “darkest time” as she had lost her mom, partner, and children as they had moved out. The host continued to add she went through “crippling loneliness” as a result.

NBC allegedly asked Al Roker to tone down his commentary

When it comes to weather forecasters, Al Roker is far from your typical host. After all, he is known for sharing incredible intimate and sometimes rude stories with ‘The Today Show’ and never holds anything back. While that might have earned him a host of fans across the nation, the network might not be overly impressed with his persona.

Page Six reports that NBC apparently went from laughing along with the jokes to worrying about what it could mean for the state of ‘Today’ if Al continued before asking him to “act more like a traditional weatherman” in 2014. According to an insider, they believed Al was “becoming too idiosyncratic” and was “saying weird things.”

The weatherman has still pushed the limits and defended other people’s mistakes

Looking back, it usually doesn’t take long to think of the number of items Al Roker has had people laughing and cringing all at the same time. After all, the weather forecaster joined the show almost 30 years ago in 1996 and has been a part of ‘Today’ ever since, but that didn’t mean Al was ready to stop.

The insider continued to tell Page Six that Al had “[taken] their comments to heart” and was “playing ball,” but there have still been plenty of moments he’s pushed the limits. In 2015, the anchor apologized over a selfie in front of a car accident with his coworkers. Al even defended Jeremy Kappel when he accidentally used an offensive slur.

Today show fans accused Megyn Kelly of fat-shaming her audience

Megyn Kelly joining ‘The Today Show’ was meant to add someone to appeal to adult females. Sadly, Megyn seemed to miss that memo, as the anchor spent a lot of her time alienating her key demographic, such as when she started fat-shaming people in January 2018. Here, Megyn was joined by Maria Kang, aka “FitMom.”

After admitting she would ask her stepfather to call her names based on her weight while at law school, Megyn continued that she battled an eating disorder when she was younger, stating she “reduced my calorie intake to 500 calories a day.” Megyn eventually tried to backpedal, saying overweight people “need support” and “kindness,” but it was too late.

Reports later claimed Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric didn’t get along

‘Today’ has been on our screen for decades, with the ‘90s proving it was a great time and an unusual one for the show. Fans of the show throughout the decade might remember just how well Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric won over audiences with the playful banter they shared. Amazingly, that might not have been the case after all.

Shortly after leaving ‘Today,’ Bryant hinted in an interview with New York Times Magazine that Katie got too much credit for the show’s success. He also told George magazine, “We were never really that close” as there “was a lot of tension,” with sources stating they didn’t think “either one of them wanted to spend one minute together.”

The Today Show played footage of Jerrod Johnson instead of Michael Vick

Plenty of sports stars have made their way through morning shows throughout the years, with Michael Vick acting as no exception. The NFL star appeared on ‘The Today Show’ in July 2012, where he was meant to be interviewed by Matt Lauer about his book, ‘Finally Free.’ Everything seemed to be going to plan - to start.

That’s when ‘Today’ cut to a video of what was meant to be Vick playing in the background of the interview. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Eagles footage was actually of Jerrod Johnson. To make matters worse, Johnson was only a part of the team for one month the year before the interview, making the mixup somehow even worse.

Kathie Lee Gifford asked about Martin Short’s marriage, not knowing his wife passed away

One thing ‘The Today Show’ has always done well is connecting with their interviewees on a personal level. We guess that’s what Kathie Lee Gifford was trying to do in May 2012 when she asked actor Martin Short about his relationship with his wife, Nancy. Here, Kathie stated they had “one of the greatest marriages of anybody in show business.”

The anchor continued to ask about how many years Martin and Nancy had been married and even exclaimed, “But you’re still in love!” Sadly for Kathie, it took until a commercial break for someone to tell her that Nancy passed away in 2010 after battling ovarian cancer, with the anchor later apologizing to Martin and his family on social media.

Megyn Kelly’s ratings took a nosedive, and it allegedly caused issues with other anchors

For 13 years, Megyn Kelly was one of the leading faces of ‘Fox News.’ That’s probably why NBC thought she would be such a great face to join ‘The Today Show’ and earn her own segment. Sadly, it appeared that most others didn’t agree, with Megyn lasting just 13 months after months of declining ratings.

Page Six reported it was Megyn’s “likability problem” that caused so many issues, with other former anchors supposedly upset with her behavior. Sources also told Radar Online that Megyn’s segment was a disaster in the ratings, with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb allegedly angry that those low ratings continued into their hour of ‘The Today Show.’

It’s reported they couldn’t even give away tickets to Megyn Kelly Today

It seems winning over people at home might not have been the only issue Megyn Kelly faced when she joined ‘The Today Show.’ If the rumors are true, it turns out people didn’t want to turn up to her live shows, either. Radar Online reported the anchor struggled to fill the studio every time she had to record.

While most other morning shows have waiting lists at least six months long, it’s alleged Megyn’s show had to give the tickets away for free - and even then, people wouldn’t take the bait. It’s said the show had to use camera tricks to make it seem like the audience was packed, with Megyn joking that her premiere week was “educational.”

Bryant Gumbel's personal memo about his co-anchors was leaked to the media

It turns out Bryant Gumbel might not be the person so many thought he was during his run on ‘The Today Show.’ That's because a leaked email from the anchor revealed what he really thought about the other people working on the show. In 1988, executive producer Marty Ryan supposedly asked Bryant to write an assessment of the show.

Here, the anchor was asked about the things that did and didn't work on 'Today' - and Bryant didn't hold back. What was meant to be a standard workplace question soon turned into a four-page memo that was leaked to the media the following year. The problem? That meant everyone, including Bryant's coworkers, could read what he thought.

Bryant Gumbel wrote about how much he disliked weatherman Willard Scott

It seemed that weatherman at the time, Willard Scott, got most of the heat in Bryant Gumbel’s memo, with the anchor claiming he took his time on the show way too far. Willard was known for giving shoutouts to people on their 100th birthdays and seemingly always lifted the mood of those around him. Not Bryant.

In the memo, Bryant claimed Willard “holds the show hostage” with the weatherperson’s “assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays, and bad taste.” As if that wasn’t enough, Bryant even recommended ‘Today’ banned Willard for the first hour of the show. Even though the anchor knew he would be upset, he claimed Willard couldn’t leave as he “couldn’t get a better [job].”

The anchor continued to take shots at other anchors, but things quickly blew over

Of course, Willard Scott wasn’t the only one to face the sharp side of Bryant Gumbel’s tongue, with reporter David Horowitz getting his own special mention in the memo, too. Here, the anchor likened his co-worker to “a walking cliché” before moving on to take aim at film critic Gene Shalit, calling his celebrity interviews “[not] very good.”

The memo could have been enough to end Bryant’s career in its tracks and really shake things up behind the scenes of ‘Today.’ However, most were amazed when pretty much nothing came of the event. Sure, there were some behind-the-scenes personnel changes, but for the most part, Bryant’s catty memo was completely forgotten until he left in 1997.

Tom Cruise took several jabs at Brooke Shields when she spoke about her postpartum depression

She might not be a permanent anchor on ‘The Today Show,’ but Brooke Shields has made sporadic appearances on the morning show since 2013. However, it was back in 2005 that her name was in someone’s mouth: Tom Cruise. The actress wrote about the birth of her daughter in her 2005 memoir ‘Down Came the Rain.’

Brooke welcomed her daughter two years earlier and admitted that she suffered from postpartum depression, leading her to seek medical treatment. Sadly, Tom was less than impressed. Telling Access Hollywood that “it didn’t cure anything” and “There is no science,” instead believing Brooke needed “vitamins and exercise” in line with the teachings of the Church of Scientology.

The actor got into a heated argument with Matt Lauer during his Today show interview

Just a few weeks after Tom Cruise made the controversial statements, he appeared on ‘Today’ for an interview with Matt Lauer. Here, the actor hoped to promote his latest movie, the sci-fi hit ‘War of the Worlds.’ However, Matt had other ideas, as he constantly pushed Tom about what he really thought about Brooke Shields.

At first, Tom played along, calling psychiatry “a pseudoscience.” Even though the actor stated he liked Brooke, things turned when Matt kept pushing Tom. The actor quickly went off on a rant about Brooke’s medication, saying he had “done the research” - unlike Matt. When the anchor pointed out Brooke wasn’t forced to take the medication, Tom called him a “glib.”

Ann Curry spent 20 years trying to work with Today but was gone after a year

Some of us make our dreams come true at a young age. Others? They have to work for years to see everything come to life. That was the case for Ann Curry, who allegedly spent almost 20 years working toward becoming an anchor on ‘The Today Show.’ That moment finally came in June 2011, with many praising her efforts.

In fact, reporter Brian Stelter wrote for The New York Times that Ann’s “ambition” was to lead an NBC news program, calling it a “legendary” achievement. That’s why so many fans were confused when Ann was gone just one year later. Brian called it a “public-relations debacle,” but many wanted more answers than just that.

It’s rumored people who didn’t like Ann Curry created a toxic work environment

Of course, plenty of people wanted to know all about what was going on behind the scenes, with people theorizing Ann Curry was less than impressed with the gossip stories she was expected to discuss instead of more hard-hitting news coverage. As a result, it’s believed NBC removed her from the daily hosting duties to work as a “global anchor.”

This meant Ann would be able to spend her time focused on more serious topics, but she was about to face more issues. The anchor alleged Matt Lauer and other executives supposedly didn’t like her and made an uncomfortable work environment. In fact, Ann supposedly said it was a “boys’ club atmosphere” and “professional torture” before she changed roles.

Megyn Kelly had trouble booking guests for Megyn Kelly Today

After Megyn Kelly made her comments about “blackface,” the cast of the thriller series ‘House of Cards’ pulled out of an appearance on her show. The issue? It was something the host was used to. During her first week on ‘Today,’ Megyn upset Jane Fonda when she constantly asked the legendary actress about her cosmetic procedures.

The beef between Megyn and Jane was just the beginning, with Debra Messing later admitting she regretted going on the show, especially when Megyn asked a fan if they became LGBTQ because of Will from Debra’s sitcom ‘Will & Grace.’ In the end, a source told Radar Online, “It has become too controversial” as it was “all about Meg.”

Al Rocker wasn’t having it when he learned the truth about Ryan Lochte

Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte found himself in some pretty hot water during the Rio Olympics when he claimed he and others had been held by weapons in an attempted robbery. However, Brazilian law enforcement claimed Ryan and the others had vandalized a bathroom and paid a fine when armed officers arrived to deal with the situation.

It was quite the talking point and one that saw things get equally as heated between Al Rocker, Matt Lauer, and Billy Bush. The weatherman stated, “He lied” multiple times before Billy told him to “calm down,” adding Ryan merely “embellished” facts. Ultimately, Al didn’t back down, and Natalie Morales eventually came to his defense.

Jenna Bush Hager accidentally thought a gift was for her and not Hoda Kotb

What’s worse than embarrassing yourself? Probably doing so in front of the entire nation. Sadly, that was the case for Jenna Bush Hager when she joined Hoda Kotb for her second day on ‘The Today Show.’ Apparently, Jenna found an engraved bracelet in her dressing room and believed it was a gift from former host Kathie Lee Gifford.

After all, the jewelry was engraved with the former host’s mantra, “My joy is non-negotiable.” Jenna started gushing about how sweet the gift was, claiming, “Kathie has been so gracious.” The problem was it wasn’t for her - it was for Hoda. When Jenna turned over the bracelet, she realized it was also engraved with Hoda’s daughter’s name. Oops.

Today aired an interview with Kris Jenner instead of a national memorial

TV networks across the nation all tuned into the same memorial event on September 11, 2012 - apart from one. ‘Good Morning America’ and ‘This Morning’ both aired a special moment of silence presented by the President of the United States at the time. ‘Today’? They opted to air an interview with Kris Jenner and Savannah Guthrie instead.

Here, Kris spoke about everything from Kanye West to cosmetic surgery to exercise, with many wondering what the network was thinking. In fact, NBC stations across the US all aired the same interview, apart from the New York studios that decided to cut away from the interview to cover the memorial going on at the time.

NBC initially had no regrets about their choice but later backtracked

Initially, it seemed that NBC had no regrets about their choice to air their interview with Kris Jenner instead of the memorial service. At least, that’s the vibe plenty of people got from the network’s official statement. Here, they claimed ‘Today’ had “dedicated a considerable amount of time” to the coverage already in the show.

However, the backlash the network received over their choice of what to air and their statement saw the then-president of NBC News, Steve Capus, backtrack by saying they made “an editorial call” that “still touched a nerve with many of your viewers.” Ultimately, he apologized, but many argued it was insincere and only because of the outrage.

Anne Hathaway was visibly uncomfortable when asked about photos of her in the media

One thing most celebrities want to avoid is a wardrobe malfunction. Unfortunately, that was the case for Anne Hathaway as she stepped out in 2012 for the premiere of the musical drama movie ‘Les Misérables’ in New York City. Here, the paparazzi managed to get shots up the actress’ skirt, something Anne seemingly wanted to forget.

Sadly, Matt Lauer wanted to talk all about it, starting the interview by quipping, “Seen a lot of you lately” in December 2012. Anne was visibly uncomfortable and obviously wanted to talk about the movie and not what happened, telling Matt it was “obviously an unfortunate incident” that made her “sad” as she was an “unwilling” participant.

Tom Brokaw was forced to apologize for offending the Latino community

Although ‘The Today Show’ launched in the ‘50s, Tom Brokaw was still one of the earlier anchors when he joined the show in 1976. He was a part of the show for five years and was a major part of NBC News at the time, working on ‘Today,’ ‘Meet the Press,’ and ‘Nightly News’ before his retirement in 2021.

Even though he left ‘The Today Show’ in 1981, many still associate Tom with the show, which is why they were so upset in 2019 when he stated “the Hispanics” needed to “work harder at assimilating, speaking English and learning to be comfortable in other communities.” Eventually, Tom announced on social media, “I am sorry, truly sorry.”

Carson Daly admitted on The Today Show that he suffered with severe panic attacks

Joining ‘The Today Show’ in 2013 introduced features anchor Carson Daly to a huge audience. However, it was five years later that the star felt comfortable enough to talk about his struggles with his mental health. During an episode of ‘Today,’ Carson confessed that he’s lived with generalized anxiety disorder for years and often has panic attacks.

Carson was incredibly open about his struggles, admitting he experienced his first panic attack while presenting an episode of ‘Total Request Live’ for MTV. The host confessed he feels “scared” when they happen as it feels like he’s losing his life. However, he has been working with various therapists to keep them under better control.

Al Roker once got detailed about an accident he suffered in public

If there’s one thing we know about Al Roker, it’s that the weatherman isn’t afraid to share all the personal details of his life - even the ones that might not be suited to the small screen. One of those moments came when Al opened up about a moment he was at the White House in 2002.

This came shortly after his gastric bypass surgery, with Al telling Deadline he had a mini emergency. Initially, Al thought he “ate something I wasn’t supposed to” and thought he needed to pass gas as he walked the press room. The reality? Al let out a little more than gas, confessing he had to throw out his undergarments.

It's reported Megyn Kelly wasn't liked by most of the anchors at The Today Show

It's perhaps no secret that Megyn Kelly seemingly added the wrong amount of drama when she joined 'Today.' Sadly, it seems it wasn't just the fans who disliked the anchor, with other hosts supposedly wishing she would disappear as fast as she joined the team. Hoda Kotb might have been one after comments Megyn made in January 2018.

Here, Megyn spoke about Hoda's "dark time," referencing her breast cancer battle. However, not many knew what was happening, with a source telling Page Six it was "awkward, mean-spirited" and "It really stung." To make matters worse, Megyn supposedly wasn't invited with the other “NBC family” to watch Al Roker make his Broadway debut in October 2018.

A leaked tape of Billy Bush and a former President didn’t go down well

There was a time when Billy Bush was the man to watch when it came to TV hosts and entertainment journalists. The star is already linked to two former Presidents of The US, as his surname might suggest, but it was his link to another of the former Presidents that was about to turn his life - and career - upside down.

In 2016, a leaked tape of Billy and the Former President of the US made its way to the headlines. Here, the journalist and President could be heard talking before Billy’s show at the time, ‘Access Hollywood.’ Here, the President was making inappropriate comments about women and his behavior before he dismissed it as “locker room banter.”

Billy Bush ultimately lost his job on The Today Show

While the former President of the US went on to win, Billy Bush saw his career take a nosedive. Initially, he was just suspended from ‘The Today Show,’ but he was eventually fired from his role. Seven months later, Billy spoke about the comments, telling The Hollywood Reporter that anyone “is going to get it” if they were there.

However, Billy claimed that his “judgment day” was merely “based on a bad moment 12 years ago” and “not the complete evolution of the man.” Even though Billy claimed that he doesn’t “in any way excuse the moment” and “completely understand[s] it,” the anchor still feels it was unjust that he was punished so harshly for the conversation.

Jane Pauley suddenly quit Today in 1989, and no one knew why

‘Today’ really started to pick up steam in the ‘70s. The morning show had already booked some big-name hosts, and it wasn’t long before Jane Pauley signed up for the show. That moment came in 1976, and it wasn’t long before ‘The Today Show’ was leading the way in the ratings. However, everything changed in 1989.

Jane had been with ‘Today’ for over a decade and still had two years on her contract, with many hoping they would extend her time as an anchor, when she suddenly quit without warning. Jane told Life, “choosing to go was surely better than being told to go,” with many wondering what made her see the writing on the wall.

Rumors claim NBC planned to replace Jane Pauley with Deborah Norville

1989 also marked Deborah Norville joining ‘The Today Show.’ The anchor was used to working with the network, having previously worked with ‘NBC News at Sunrise,’ but things were immediately different. Deborah didn’t sit behind the desk as others usually would and instead sat next to Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley as one of their equals.

Speculation soon started to buzz that Jane - who was in her late thirties - was getting replaced by a younger, blonder, and bubblier Deborah. To add to the rumors, Deborah was paid $1 million compared to Jane’s $1.2 million. Apparently, NBC was worried about Jane moving to another network when she left ‘Today’ and ultimately gave her ‘Real Life.’

Having Deborah Norville take over saw The Today Show take a huge hit in the ratings

Things had been going well for ‘The Today Show’ for decades when the ‘90s rolled around. People assumed nothing much would change, but the revolving door that quickly got fitted to the show saw hosts come and go faster than people could learn their names. Sadly for NBC, Deborah Norville wasn’t the hit they had hoped.

In fact, many couldn’t believe that Jane Pauley had been pushed out of the show, and it wasn’t long before they started to vote with their feet. During the first year of Deborah being a part of the show, ‘Today’ had gone from topping the ratings every week to never finishing top of the list.

Fans were less than impressed with the media narrative surrounding Deborah Norville

Even today, there is still a debate about whether people disliked Deborah Norville or if they simply didn’t like her as much as they loved Jane Pauley. Whatever the case, one thing was clear: NBC seemed happy to let the media gossip run with the story. As a result, Deborah often came out on the wrong side of the fans.

‘Today’ started falling behind ‘Good Morning America’ week after week, with Deborah telling the Chicago Tribune that she “got bruised badly” by it all. Apparently, her friends in the media “didn’t bother to call” or “verify stories that were absolutely untrue.” In 1991, Deborah went on maternity leave, with NBC using Katie Couric as her replacement.

NBC launched an immediate investigation into Matt Lauer when accusations were made

For so many years, Matt Lauer was the TV anchor. Sure, he was a part of ‘Today,’ but he had millions of other fans across the nation. That’s why so many couldn’t believe it when things started crashing down in November 2017. On November 27, a complaint was filed against the anchor and his alleged inappropriate behavior.

An anonymous NBC employee met with legal and human resource departments at the network and spent hours giving an interview. As a result, an investigation was launched into Matt’s supposed behavior. Sadly for the anchor, things went from bad to worse as he was immediately let go by ‘The Today Show’ as NBC dug deeper into the allegations.

The Today Show anchors found out Matt Lauer had been fired just hours before the rest of the world

Everything seemed to be happening so quickly when it was announced Matt Lauer was let go from ‘Today,’ which might be how the other anchors found out he had been fired just hours before the rest of the world. Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie were meant to open the 7 am hour on November 29, 2017, when they were told.

Here, the visibly shaken co-anchors were told to read a statement from NBC News, stating they had “received a detailed complaint” and had “decided to terminate [Matt’s] employment.” They continued to add it was “the first complaint about his behavior,” but the network had “reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”

Sources initially claimed Matt Lauer had no idea about the accusations

It wasn’t long before sources started reaching out to publications, with one telling People magazine that a woman - who we now know is Brooke Nevils - claimed she was working with Matt Lauer in Sochi, Russia, for the Winter Olympics in 2014 when the anchor made inappropriate moves toward her. Apparently, the accusations were “serious enough that he was terminated.”

Still, that didn’t mean Matt saw it coming. At least, that’s what another source told People magazine. They stated Matt believed it was “a consensual affair” and “a long-term one at that.” It has long been alleged that Matt was unfaithful to his wife, Annette Roque, but this allegedly left him “shocked and dumbfounded and completely bewildered.”

Several women came forward with accusations about Matt Lauer

As the investigation continued inside NBC, the accusations kept flying against Matt Lauer. In the days following his termination from ‘The Today Show,’ more women spoke about their experiences with the anchor, including one alleged incident from 2001. The woman spoke to The New York Times about it all, claiming she was given substances and assaulted by Matt.

The woman claimed she never told the network because she thought there was more she could have done to stop Matt from assaulting her, but things didn’t end there. Three further anonymous women came forward to talk about the inappropriate behavior, comments, and gifts they were given during their time working with Matt on ‘The Today Show.’

He released a confusing statement about the accusations the day after he was fired

It took just a few days for Matt Lauer to come forward and speak about the allegations. The star had been one of the leading faces of ‘Today’ since 1997. Apparently, he’d also signed a $20 million contract with NBC in 2016, with Matt’s statement claiming there were “no words to express my sorrow and regret.”

Even though Matt continued that some of the accusations were “untrue or mischaracterized,” the anchor admitted there was “enough truth in these stories” that left him feeling “ashamed” and “embarrassed.” Even so, it appeared Matt wanted to “[repair] the damage” and look inward at his “own troubling flaws,” admitting all of the accusations had been “humbling.”

Addie Zinone accused Matt Lauer of abusing his power during their alleged affair

It wasn’t just accusations of assault that saw Matt Lauer’s name in and out of the headlines. Others started to accuse the anchor of using his power and position within the network to get what he wanted. After all, it was no secret that Matt was one of the most popular TV anchors of his time - not just with NBC.

That’s when Addie Zinone, a former staff member at ‘The Today Show,’ spoke up about their month-long affair in 2000. Addie wrote for Variety, where she claimed it was “consensual,” but she “felt like a victim because of the power dynamic.” According to the former staff member, Matt preyed on “the least powerful” and “the most vulnerable.”

Ann Curry allegedly tried to stop Matt Lauer in the past but failed

Ann Curry was quick to support the women speaking out against Matt Lauer, but it wasn’t long before people started to wonder if the anchor knew more about what had been going on than she let on. An insider told Us Weekly that Ann “maintained a dignified silence” but that “a lot of people confided in her.”

As of today, Ann has never spoken directly about the accusations against Matt. However, journalist Ronan Farrow quoted the anchor as saying Ann tried to warn NBC executives about what was going on. According to Ronan, a colleague broke down to Ann in 2010, and even though she told NBC, no formal complaint was filed.

Matt Lauer’s wife filed for a divorce two years after the claims were made

As of now, no formal criminal charges have even been brought against Matt Lauer. There are a number of reasons this might have happened, such as the accusers not wanting to press charges. That didn’t mean things would be smooth for Matt going forward, with his wife, Annette Roque, filing for a divorce in July 2019.

According to the documents, it was an “uncontested” divorce, with Annette being told it could take “a few months” to go through. Her attorney later told People magazine that it had all been settled, with news the divorce had been finalized coming two months later in September. According to sources close to Matt, they were both focused on their children.

The former Today show anchor has supposedly been withdrawn since he was fired

Six years have passed since Matt Lauer was fired from ‘The Today Show,’ and news of the allegations against him gripped the nation. He has largely disappeared from the limelight in the years since, but sources close to the former star told People magazine that Matt has “lost a lot of friends” as a result of it all.

Apparently, people would “check up on him for a while,” but most have moved on in recent years. They continued to add that Matt “just stays to himself” and no longer “reach[es] out to people very much.” All Matt has done is allegedly been upset by Katie Couric releasing their private text messages in her book, ‘Going There.’