Well, it looks like Megyn Kelly's move to NBC might be causing even more shake ups. A new report is suggesting that her proposed role on Today might actually be even larger than originally thought. We already knew that her deal with the network would cause some changes to Today, with her taking over one of the hour-long blocks of the long-running morning show and former Today anchor Tamron Hall quitting abruptly over the decision. But, now, it looks like Megyn Kelly could actually be in line to take over hosting duties from Savannah Guthrie, who co-anchors the peak hours of Today with Matt Lauer.
This would be major news, if the report is indeed true. Savannah Guthrie, who just recently signed a new long term deal with the show, is currently out on maternity leave. Page Six is reporting that she's being kept in the dark about what Kelly's exact role at Today will be when she begins working at NBC in September, but if Kelly does take over Guthrie's plum spot in the co-anchor chair, it would have to mean that she'd either get bumped to a new role at the network or, possibly, take over Tamron Hall's vacated spot during the 9 a.m. hour opposite Al Roker. The report suggests that, once Guthrie returns to her co-anchor spot from leave, the first time she'll need a replacement, the gig will go to Kelly. From there, it's thought that Today will capitalize on Kelly's involvement with the show and slowly edge Guthrie out.
Part of the reason that the rumor mill is churning with word that Kelly will take one of the top anchor slots is that it's believed NBC paid her between $12-$15 million a year to come on board, and that they wouldn't have offered that much money (and she wouldn't have accepted the offer) unless they had a big, high profile role waiting for her on the morning show. And, it just so happens that the 7 a.m. hour of Today is where that position would be.
Those at NBC, however, are denying this report at every turn, which is completely unsurprising. For instance, Noah Oppenheim, senior vice president of Today, stated in no uncertain terms that "This is never ever going to happen."
Well, with NBC now coming under fire amid charges of whitewashing over Tamron Hall and Al Roker's hour of Today getting bumped, would they really be willing to spend the latter part of the year edging out a co-anchor who just had a baby? It's not impossible. After all, the network has put up a lot of money in order to bring Megyn Kelly on board in a way that would make her, and the fans who will hopefully follow her, stick around. We'll keep you up to date on all the Today and Megyn Kelly news as more information becomes available to us.
