Fans of TODAY and even Matt Lauer were surprised by the return of Savannah Guthrie on the morning show in early March.
Mrs. Guthrie, who welcomed a baby boy in December, was supposed to be on maternity leave until March 7, so why did she come back so fast?
According to sources, the ratings of the show significantly dropped after it was revealed that Tamron Hall was leaving the program and Al Roker would be moved to another hour.
The Peacock Network more or less dumped the co-hosts for its multi-million dollar recruit Megyn Kelly.
Kelly turned down a $20 million contract with the Fox News Channel that was formerly led by Roger Ailes because she wanted a more flexible schedule that made it possible for her to spend time with her three children.
NBC is betting big on Mrs. Kelly who will have a few interesting roles. There will be a morning show and Sunday magazine program. Additionally, she will be covering breaking news.
With Hall and Guthrie absent from the television show, their competitors on ABC have been winning the ratings war.
A close to the network spoke to Page Six and explained: “The show was in free fall. She initially announced that she would be returning on March 3, but they were in a panic . . . And called her back early.”
Guthrie was asked to come back because Lauer can not hold the viewers on his own.
The person with ties to the network went on to reveal that not even Lester Holt and Bryant Gumbel, who filled in as co-hosts, could stop the ratings from plunging.
The person shared: “Their bro-show did not work. They needed Savannah to bail them out, so they rushed her from maternity leave. NBC claimed it was because of the influx of news, but the reality is that the show was down double-digits and they needed her.”
It is not known who will replace Hall on the TODAY show, but some fans are hoping that Kelly will give the show a try.
