A little less than two years ago, the Internet was aflood with stories about behind the scenes drama on the set of The Today Show. All the anchors supposedly hated each other. Poor Al Roker looked miserable out there, and Ann Curry wound up getting the big ugly axe. That’s what happens when ratings are falling on morning television. Then again, if Josh Elliott can be used as an example, that type of thing can happen with great ratings too.
The Good Morning America anchor recently bolted from his stoop on the country’s most popular AM show to, of all places, NBC Sports Network. Initially, many assumed the move must have been precipitated by a big fat raise, but TMZ is claiming the opposite happened. Supposedly, Elliott could have collected between $4 and $5 million if he would have stayed at ABC, but instead, he decided to take a $3 million offer from NBC Sports because leaving was the primary goal.
No one is speaking on the record about any of this, but supposedly, things have gotten extremely heated behind the scenes on GMA. Elliott allegedly isn’t the nicest person on the set to get along with, especially after some of his co-workers were given more money. People are reportedly fed up with Robin Roberts because she’s a “diva” who makes $14 million a year. Amy Robach and Lara Spencer are allegedly hostile to each other openly on the set. Recently, one of the producers allegedly even called some of the on-air personalities "toxic", all of which combine together to produce a pretty horrifying work environment. You know, the type that would cause someone to leave millions on the table.
NBC Sports Network is best known for its coverage of NHL hockey. In the years ahead, the cable channel is reportedly hoping to become a much bigger player in the game. As a longtime ESPN anchor, he’s a logical choice to lead the network into a bigger profile and bigger ratings, but there’s a distinct possibility he won’t actually be with the network when that happens. That’s because, despite his move officially being to NBC Sports, his larger employer is NBC, the network that just so happens to broadcast The Today Show. Elliott wouldn’t be able to fix every problem there, but he could potentially offer some stability whenever Matt Lauer leaves. At just forty-two, he’s got plenty of good years in front of the camera left.
NBC Sports hasn't announced when Elliott will make his first appearance on the network, but one would imagine executives would want him to start working playoff hockey games later this month. We’ll let you know if there’s any kind of official announcement on that front moving forward. Until then, here’s to hoping his former co-workers at Good Morning America can start getting along a little better before the situation devolves into a Today Show-level media circus.
