Matt Lauer was once one of the most recognizable faces on television. As the host of Today, millions woke up to him every day. However, in 2017 his career abruptly ended following serious allegations of sexual misconduct. He has yet even to attempt any sort of comeback, but former CNN host Don Lemon (who knows Lauer personally) thinks that a Lauer comeback would be successful.

Don Lemon appeared on the Hollywood Raw podcast saying that while he only got to know Matt Lauer following the allegations of misconduct that led to him being fired by NBC, he has seen the way that the general public reacts to the man when they see him in public. And because of that, he thinks the reason Lauer hasn’t been able to restart his career is due to his potential employers. In his words:

Lemon suggests that if Lauer did make a return, he would likely be successful, saying the public “misses him” and that the ratings of any new Matt Lauer show would be strong.

It’s perhaps understandable why the “people inside the business” are unwilling to take a chance on Lauer because if Lemon is wrong, the blowback on whoever put Lauer on air could be significant. Of course, it also appears that Lauer still has strong support within the industry. In addition to Lemon, Lauer is also still friends with Bryant Gumbal, so there would likely be many who would be supportive of a return.

However, there’s at least some anecdotal evidence indicating that Lemon may not be entirely correct in his assessment. This isn’t the first time that a possible Matt Lauer comeback has been rumored.

A little less than a year ago Us Weekly posted a headline to Instagram that also suggested Lauer was gearing up for a comeback. Nothing ever came of the report, or at least hasn’t yet, but it should be said that while there were a few comments on the post willing to give him a chance, the vast majority indicated no interest in seeing Lauer again.

Matt Lauer certainly wouldn’t be the first to attempt to make a comeback after serious misconduct allegations. Louis C.K. is performing again. Actor Armie Hammer has a new movie on the way and he's suggested he's getting many offers.

At this point, it’s not actually clear Matt Lauer wants to come back. If he does try, we’ll find out if Don Lemon is right.

Since Matt Lauer was fired from Today in 2017 for sexual misconduct allegations, he’s stayed pretty quiet. Following him leaving and being replaced on the NBC morning news show, Hoda Kotb took over the anchor position. While Lauer is completely disconnected from the telecast and its employees now, it turns out that he’s still quite close with the Today host who came before him, Bryant Gumbel. 

Apparently, Lauer has “drastically changed his social circle and iced out many old friends,” a source told People. They also noted that this included people from Today who “stuck by him.” However, he’s still very close with Bryant Gumbel. A source explained the reported state of their friendship, saying:

Earlier this year, Gumbel spoke to Page Six about Lauer, saying that “he’s doing great.” The journalist also said he speaks to the former anchor on a near-daily basis. According to the People article, the longtime friends are also supportive of each other’s work, they said:

The two men’s relationship goes back decades. Matt Lauer took over co-hosting the Today show from Gumbel in 1997. In 1998, Gumbel was Lauer’s best man at his wedding to his now ex-wife Annette Roque, and the two men switched places in 2001 when the sports reporter married his second wife Hilary Quinlan. 

This report about Gumbel and Lauer still being friends comes six years after the latter was fired from Today for sexual misconduct allegations. As stated earlier, after he left, Hoda Kotb became the new co-host of the telecast, and she’s still in the role as the show continues to air on the 2023 TV schedule. 

After the first claims about the disgraced reporter surfaced, more came up, and Lauer responded to the allegations right after his firing saying some of them were “untrue or mischaracterized.” However, he also admitted that there was “enough truth” that he felt “embarrassed and ashamed.” He also spoke about the allegations in April 2018, months after they were made, claiming that anything about “coercive, aggressive or abusive actions” was “absolutely false.” 

Following Lauer’s firing, he and Annette Roque got a divorce. The two share three children, and according to the Page Six article, Gumbel said the former Today employee is close with them. He’s also been dating Shamin Abas since 2019, and they reportedly work to keep their relationship very private. 

While Matt Lauer’s relationships with many have reportedly changed a lot or completely ended, when it comes to his friendship with his long-time pal Bryant Gumbel they remain close. 

Many Today fans were stunned when co-anchor Matt Lauer was fired after several sexual harassment accusations were brought against him in late November 2017. In the time since that, people have wondered whether or not Katie Couric, who’d been his co-anchor for about eight years, had any information regarding what was allegedly going on behind the scenes with him. Now, Couric has opened up about what she did and didn't know about Lauer’s behavior.

Katie Couric had already been co-anchor of Today for around seven years when Matt Lauer took the anchor seat alongside her at the long-running NBC daytime show. When he was fired, it seemed evident that his co-workers at the time were largely surprised by the claims, but fans who’ve been wanting to know what Couric may have known now have their answer. While speaking with Today’s Savannah Guthrie in preparation for the release of her book, Going There, Couric was asked about Lauer and said:

In her upcoming book, Couric admitted that she contacted Lauer after word of his firing and the allegations came out, with her texting “I am crushed. I love you and care about you deeply,” and letting him know that she was available to talk if he felt he needed it. Now, in her book, Couric said that “it felt so heartless to abandon him, someone who'd been by my side, literally, for so many years.” But, she also admitted that she’d heard “whispers” about his behavior, though she didn’t specify if that was only while she was still at Today, or also sometime after she left, which was in 2006.

Couric also didn’t explicitly say what information those “whispers” held. The first allegation against Lauer came from former NBC News producer Brooke Nevils, who accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and later said that he raped her while they were working the event. Claims from other women included that he would make salacious comments, that he showed one woman his genitalia, and would use the security feature in his office (which allowed executives to lock their door without getting up) to hold women inside, among other allegations.

Lauer quickly apologized for his “words and actions” which hurt people, but denied that his sexual contact with Nevils was anything but “completely consensual.”

Talking about the professional atmosphere when she was working at Today, Couric added:

All in all, Katie Couric says that she had difficulties figuring out why Matt Lauer “behaved the way he did," and seemed to have acted in such a "reckless and callous and honestly abusive" manner to several women he interacted with, and it appears that she was mostly in the dark on what was claimed to be going on during his Today tenure.

It's been a couple of months since Matt Lauer was fired from NBC's Today following a complaint about inappropriate workplace behavior of a sexual nature. In the time since, NBC announced it may not have been an "isolated incident" and other staff members on Today addressed the firing on the long-running show. However, most have not spoken out about their personal feelings on the matter, until this week when Matt Lauer's longtime co-worker Katie Couric decided to set the record straight on how she feels and what she says she knew about Lauer's behavior.

First and foremost, Katie Couric seems pretty blindsided about what happened, noting the reveals about Matt Lauer and the allegations of sexual misconduct that were levied at him were news to her. She seems heartbroken about the reports, noting,

In the statement, which she gave to People, Katie Couric stressed that Matt Lauer had always been a good person to work with in her experience, and that she was left in the dark about his behavior in regards to other individuals at the workplace. She also says she's still reeling from learning the news and spoke a little bit about how the other Today co-workers were handling what happened. She said:

Katie Couric left Today for other opportunities back in 2006, but she has returned to the NBC series on occasion for guest stints, most recently to celebrate Matt Lauer's 20th anniversary as an anchor.

Couric had previously said that she would talk about what happened with her co-worker when she was ready and able. That comment was made on social media back in December, just a short time after Matt Lauer's firing was announced. She also briefly spoke on the issue during the TCA winter press tour earlier this month, saying she "appreciated the opportunity to sit with this" before she ultimately made a public statement regarding what had happened.

As for Today, the show is doing fine without Matt Lauer. The show recently hired Hoda Kotb as Lauer's replacement, and actually saw an increase in its ratings after Lauer was fired. We'll let you know how things continue to fare with the NBC daytime show in the coming weeks.

For NBC's Today, 2017 was as big a year as any in the morning news show's recent past, with the biggest headlines coming as longtime anchor Matt Lauer was fired in the aftermath of sexual misconduct allegations. In the month or so since that happened, Today hadn't officially found a substitution for Lauer's seat, but now that 2018 is in full gear, NBC News has announced Today vet Hoda Kotb has officially taken over as the show's official co-anchor alongside Savannah Guthrie.

Before the January 2 edition of Today got underway, NBC News Chairman Andy Lack made the announcement that Hoda Kotb would be officially upping her Today presence with a permanent position at the anchor desk she'd been sitting behind in recent weeks as a temporary replacement for the ousted Matt Lauer. After the episode began, with Kotb's name appearing in Today's opening announcement for the first time, Savannah Guthrie made the announcement public, saying it had to be "the most popular decision NBC News have ever made." Indeed, Kotb has mass appeal with all manner of audience members.

According to People, NBC News first presented the offer to Hoda Kotb before the holidays started, and it's obvious that she didn't take too long to offer a positive response. This makes Kotb and Savannah Guthrie the first pair of lead women anchors on Today, though they're not morning news TV's first head female duo. And you won't find anyone happier about this announcement than the two of them.

Interestingly, Hoda Kotb's new position as co-anchor will not immediately take her away from the 10:00 a.m. hour, where she sits alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. For the time being, she'll take on both timespans, though that could change in the near future if Today brings in a new replacement at some point.

Hoda Kotb, who took some time off in 2017 to welcome her adopted daughter Hayley Lee, first joined NBC News back in 1998 as a Dateline correspondent, having built a career as one of New Orleans' most recognizable anchors and reporters. Still part of the Dateline team, Kotb joined Today back in 2007 as the co-host of the show's fourth hour with Kathie Lee Gifford. She has been one of the show's most valued employees, getting promoted to third co-anchor in March of 2017, making her an obvious choice when NBC News needed an immediate fill-in after Matt Lauer got fired. And considering Today's ratings have been rising in the month after Lauer's exit, it probably wasn't hard to come to the decision that Kotb was an easy choice for the long haul. Had Megyn Kelly's Today introduction not been as poorly received as it has been, perhaps she might have been on the shortlist, but no.

Watch Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie every weekday morning on NBC when Today airs at 7:00 a.m. ET. To see what new and returning shows will be showing up in the primetime hours, bookmark our midseason premiere schedule.

It's been a harrowing few months in the world of entertainment and politics. Following the myriad allegations made against tycoon Harvey Weinstein, the floodgates soon opened. A variety of powerful men have been accused of sexual misconduct, leading to some public firings and condemnation. And while producers and actors like Kevin Spacey and Brett Ratner originally made up the accused, broadcast journalists like Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer ended up on the chopping block as well, being fired from their respective positions. Lauer's firing from The Today Show has certainly been making the rounds lately, but it turns out that the ratings have been pretty fantastic in the wake of this scandal. I guess there's no such thing as bad publicity, after all.

This news comes to us from Variety, which reports that The Today Show is currently the most watched morning news program, beating out the competition at ABC's Good Morning America. The ratings are up 12.4% from GMA, likely due to the news about Lauer's firing. In total, the week accrued 4.9 million viewers for Today, beating out 4.36 million for GMA and 3.53 million for CBS This Morning.

These ratings follow the show's broadcast on November 29, where co-host Savannah broke the news about the network's firing of Matt Lauer. Her emotional recitation of the official statement went viral, as she and Hoda Kotb grappled with their conflicted feelings live on-air. Matt Lauer hosted the popular show for a decade, contributing to NBC for closer to two decades. Between the fall out and wondering what's next for the show, it seems plenty of viewers have tuned in to see what The Today Show looks like without its formerly beloved host.

This seems to be a trend in regards to these high profile firings. Tucker Carlson's numbers climbed when he took over Bill O'Reilly's former time slot on Fox News. Then again, GMA has been suffering with the loss of Charlie Rose, so this type of coverage seems to be a double edged sword.

Matt Lauer has given his own statement on the feelings, which was a mixture of apology and refuting some of the claims made against him. He claims that not all of what has been said is true, although Lauer is taking responsibility for at least some of the allegations made against him. While one unnamed NBC employee was the first one to come out with allegations of sexual misconduct, multiple women who have come forward since. The story is still developing, with some reports claiming Lauer wants a bigger payout for his unexpected termination.

It should be interesting to see how The Today Show continues, and who they chose to replace Matt Lauer as host. Some rumors indicate that Today Show contributor Willie Geist might be a possibility, as well as Meghan Kelly, Hoda Kotb, and Carson Daly. We'll just have to wait and see how the proceed, and how the ratings respond.

The Today Show airs Weekdays on NBC. Be sure to check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Just a couple of months after putting former Fox News star Bill O'Reilly through the wringer over sexual harassment allegations, NBC News vet Matt Lauer found himself on the receiving end of his own string of accusations before promptly getting fired. And now, as more claims are being voiced, Lauer has released a statement acknowledging the truth behind at least some of the allegations, and he apologized to those affected by his lewd behavior in the past. You can read it in full below.

Matt Lauer's apology, which was read aloud on this morning's Today episode, came right around 24 hours after the formerly esteemed host was terminated from the morning chat show, as well as any other jobs he held within the NBC News-verse. The initial reports that NBC received were reportedly about Lauer's inappropriate behavior during the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and in the months afterward, and though the network claims this was the first time any such accusations have come up, it was believed that the Winter Olympics story was far from an isolated incident, leading them to cut ties with Lauer.

Once Matt Lauer's Today ousting went public, more women came forward with claims about the journalist's workplace behavior over the years. According to Variety, Lauer has become known around the show for having an unencumbered libido, and he would apparently make lots of salacious comments (both verbally and through text messages) to female employees. He was also accused of showing one woman his genitalia and then getting upset whenever nothing sexual happened.

Matt Lauer's office desk had a button on it that let him lock the door without getting up, which is reportedly a common enough security feature for NBC execs, but Lauer would allegedly use it to keep female workers inside the office without fear of anyone walking in on them. And it was also brought up how Lauer had a reputation for making sexual advances on NBC employees during Olympics trips beyond just the Sochi claim.

Obviously, we're not at all sure which points Matt Lauer was talking about when he claimed some of the things said about him were untrue, and we likely won't find out for a while which incidents he is denying responsibility for. Regardless, he's admitted to some of it, and plans to try and get help to fix that part of his life, so here's hoping he follows through on that.

In the meantime, it's certainly possible that we haven't heard the last about Matt Lauer's behavior during his Today tenure. While waiting to see if Today brings in any noteworthy replacements, head to our fall TV premiere schedule and our 2018 midseason premiere schedule to see what new and returning shows are on the way.

The Today Show host Matt Lauer reportedly has been fired by NBC after what is being described as inappropriate workplace behavior. The news broke overnight, and Today Show co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb addressed the firing at the top of the morning television program.

The news seemed to rock the Today Show staff as they continued with the program. Savannah Guthrie told viewers repeatedly that she was "heartbroken," elaborating:

Heading into his first weather report of the morning, Al Roker led with:

The New York Times broke the story overnight, obtaining a memo sent to NBC staff that read, in part:

You can now watch the clip of the opening of this morning's Today Show, where Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb address the situation.

Matt Lauer has been a television journalist since the 1980s, but became a household name as a member of NBC's Today Show lineup, first as a news anchor in 1994 and, later, as the today co-anchor starting in 1998 -- a position he held until this morning.

This is a developing story, and one that seemed to even catch the Today Show off guard. As Savannah Guthrie points out in the above video, the staff basically received the memo before going on the air. We will continue to track the progress of these allegations, and the ramifications they will have on Matt Lauer, NBC, the Today Show and its staff in the coming weeks.

In April, Ellen DeGeneres devoted a full hour of her Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the comedienne's Ellen sitcom episode in which her character, Ellen Morgan, came out of the closet. DeGeneres called that moment the hardest thing she ever had to do in life, because that 1997 episode coincided with the comic's coming out in real life and in the public eye. Now Ellen DeGeneres has one regret about how it all went down two decades ago. She wishes she had come out sooner.

Matt Lauer sat down with Ellen DeGeneres when she welcomed him as a guest for the Thursday, May 4 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Afterward, Lauer and DeGeneres remained on the set, but switched roles so he could get an interview for the Friday, May 5 episode of The Today Show. The talk moved to the Ellen coming-out episode, which famously received the name "The Puppy Episode", after an executive urged Ellen DeGeneres not to come out on the show and suggested she have the main character adopt a puppy instead. Matt Lauer indicated that DeGeneres's coming out story happened not only in her life, but also the life of all Americans. He asked how DeGeneres feels with twenty years of space and time between that episode and now. The funny lady shared the sentiment that she wishes her coming out story had happened sooner in her life, saying,

After Ellen DeGeneres announced her sexual orientation in 1997, a storm of controversy loomed over her show, and Ellen was off the air the following season. DeGeneres famously ducked out of Hollywood for a few years in the wake of that moment. Thankfully, Ellen DeGeneres resurfaced better than ever, like a phoenix from the ashes. Today the 59-year-old talk show host has danced her way back into the hearts of viewers, and she cries all the way to the bank when people give her grief for being gay. DeGeneres is one of the most lauded (and richest) people in the entertainment industry, and she uses her success to improve the lives of others.

Yes, it sounds pleasant when Ellen DeGeneres says she wishes she had come out of the closet sooner. However, that sentiment belies the fact her coming out story---exactly as it happened---was one of enormous impact for many people.

The rumor mill was on fire yesterday after NBC’s Today stated that Charlie Sheen was set to visit the show and was planning on making a big announcement. Various sites mentioned that the man might be suffering from HIV, and this morning Sheen confirmed his diagnosis to Today host Matt Lauer in a candid interview. You can check out the footage, below.

During the interview, Sheen admitted that he was diagnosed four years ago, shortly following the time the actor was dealing with problems related to drug use that affected his time on the set of Two and a Half Men. While the man has moved on in his career in the time since he was fired from the CBS comedy, he has been living with the secret of his diagnosis. However, because the secret was about to be unearthed by someone who was reportedly blackmailing him, he decided to get the information out in the open, for good. Here’s what he has to say about his diagnosis.

In the segment, Charlie Sheen also opened up to Matt Lauer, noting that some people had found out about his diagnosis and had asked him for money to stay quiet. Sheen actually paid out monetary amounts in the millions to various prostitutes and women he had been open with regarding his diagnosis and who had shaken him down for payouts. The actor openly admits to making bad decision after bad decision regarding the people he surrounded himself with after diagnosis, noting he was drinking and using and was pretty depressed for a long time. Now, we know why.

Sheen also mentions that the behavior during his #winning phase was more “’roid rage” and that the HIV diagnosis came “on the heels” of that portion of his life. He’s had a lot to deal with over the last several years, but now he’s coming clean and is being completely open about his diagnosis and the way it has changed his life. He says he decided to come forward in the hopes that others who are suffering will also be open about their diagnosis.

Sometimes rumors do prove to be true, but it’s good that Sheen was able to speak out and deliver the news in a way that he was comfortable with. You can catch new episodes of Today on weekdays over at NBC.

It’s been a year since Tracy Morgan was in a terrible auto accident that put him in a coma for two weeks and killed his friend, James McNair. He appeared on Today this morning to discuss his recovery and his future, and according to him, a return to comedy is definitely in his future.

In an emotional interview with Matt Lauer, Morgan discussed the difficulty with his recovery. Near the end of the interview, when Lauer asked him what his goals were, Morgan mentioned this:

It’s good to hear that Morgan is doing well enough that a return to stage and screen are real possibilities. Morgan had been set for a new FX comedy series, Death Pact, barely a month before the accident. Afterwards, FX announced that the show was “on hold” but had not been canceled. One year later, we will have to see if the show is still looking to move forward once Morgan is ready. Morgan’s last film was Chris Rock’s Top Five, and he can also be seen in the recent Accidental Love. (Although it was just released, it was filmed seven years ago.) He’s also got one film role available if he wants it, as Kay Cannon, the script writer on the Pitch Perfect films, apparently has a place for him if Pitch Perfect 3 ever happens.

Morgan looked to be in good shape, considering the injuries he received when the limo van he was in collided with a Wal-Mart tractor trailer last year. He was carrying a cane and was obviously emotional over the death of his friend, who was known to many as Jimmy Mac. He broke down when speaking about him:

Check out the full interview here:

We look forward to seeing Morgan again when he’s up to it. While it may still be some time before he's ready to return to comedy, he seems to be healing well. However he returns, he will certainly be welcomed back warmly.

Actor and comedian Tracy Morgan is ready to return to the public eye. Nearly a year to the day that a tragic six-car accident left him with debilitating bodily injuries and head trauma, the former SNL and 30 Rock star will reportedly reemerge on Monday June 1, for a live interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s The Today Show. The sit-down occurs on the outset of a lawsuit settlement with Walmart, whose truck driver was responsible for the incident.

The upcoming interview should be quite the monumental moment, seeing as Morgan has been a virtual recluse during his apparently arduous recovery process. There was a period in time after the incident when he was apparently knocking on death’s door. Reports have indicated the long-term effect of his injuries were grave enough to require intense physical and cognitive therapy, leading to some speculation that he may never again be the gregarious getter of laughs we once knew. Of course, the Monday interview that puts it all on the line on live TV will certainly be revelatory in that respect.

News of the settlement between Morgan and other plaintiffs (who were also in the limo bus struck by the Walmart truck driver) would come just last night, prompting the reports of Morgan's media outreach. While actual amounts were not disclosed, the settlement was apparently cordial. According to Morgan by way of a released statement:

The amounts involved in the settlement must have been quite generous, gauged by that reaction. Additionally, Morgan's attorney Benedict Morelli appeared this morning on The Today Show to reiterate the praise for Walmart, even adding that the retail monolith’s 2.4 million employees should be proud to work for such a company.

The June 7, 2014 incident occurred early in the morning on the New Jersey Turnpike, where an allegedly sleep-deprived Walmart driver, at high speeds, rear-ended his tractor-trailer into the back of a limo bus containing Morgan and three other passengers, creating a chain collision. While the crash left Morgan and fellow passengers Ardley Fuqua and Jeffrey Millea with serious injuries, James "Jimmy Mack" McNair did not survive. The investigation from NTSB revealed the driver, Kevin Roper was running his truck at 65 mph during the crash and he remains set to face a number of criminal charges.

While speculation about Morgan's career may seem trivial compared to the serious challenges that he continues to face with his recovery, there’s no doubt that his legions of fans out there are hoping to once again see him grace the small and big screens to take in his signature, un-PC absurdity back to the public. While the accident sidelined him in the middle of 2014, he was featured in one project in the form of a 2015 film release, produced years earlier, called Accidental Love, a romcom starring Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Hopefully we’ll see him reemerge, perhaps taking things slow with the FXX comedy series he had in the works pre-accident, or something back the film world. However, only time will tell if the extent of his recovery warrants such steps.

Matt Lauer and Ellen DeGeneres have been involved in an epic prank war for some time now, but this weekend the two put bygones aside to film a segment for the Daytime Emmy Awards… or did they? Check out the hilarious prank DeGeneres (seemingly unwittingly) pulls on Matt Lauer, below.

In the video, Matt Lauer and Ellen DeGeneres declare a truce, kicking off the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Lauer says he agreed to pop up in the awards ceremony for the special segment, during which he announces that he will donate $1,000 to charity for anyone who thanks him during his or her big Daytime Emmy Awards speech. Unfortunately, despite Ellen and Matt agreeing the feud is now over, The Ellen Show host actually photoshopped Matt Lauer’s head onto the body of a fit dude wearing women’s lingerie for the segment. It’s a goofy but effective prank, and it was put together for the perfect audience this time around.

While Lauer has been pranked yet again, on the bright side, it all went to a good cause. This morning, Entertainment Tonight is reporting that a whopping 16 stars thanked Lauer during their Daytime Emmy Awards speeches. One of them, ET’s Nancy O’Dell, even managed to thank the host three separate times during her speech. So, even though Ellen meanly photoshopped the NBC host in another over-the-top costume, charity is still benefiting today.

If you aren't caught up on the DeGeneres and Lauer shenanigans, the war has been going on for sometime between the two early morning hosts. Initially, it began when DeGeneres photoshopped Lauer into a leather harness around the time Fifty Shades of Grey was released in theaters. Lauer, not to be outdone, gamely filled her car up with thousands of ping-pong balls. Then Ellen told her fans they could be entered into her “12 Days of Giveaways” giving if they tried to find out where Lauer is ticklish while he was outside hosting Today. The pranks have only escalated from there, and while Ellen tried to declare the war over last night, her actions spoke a whole lot louder than her words.

So, expect plenty of additional pranks to come from the two early morning hosts in the coming months. After all, pranks are kind-of what Ellen DeGeneres has become known for. In the meantime, you can check out the list of Daytime Emmy Awards winners here.

Disneyland may have already moved forward with its holiday decorations, but we still have to get through Thanksgiving before we can pull those trees and other holiday decorations out. If you can’t get enough of November’s big day for turkey, we have some excellent news for you: NBC has just announced all of the details for this year’s Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Obviously, the parade will happen on Thanksgiving morning, because we all know no one would watch if the big parade conflicted with football. This year, Thanksgiving falls on November 28, and the parade will air from New York City from 9 a.m. ET to noon ET. NBC’s Today anchors, including Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie will be on hand to host the big event.

This year is the parade’s 87th, and even though that’s not an anniversary year, there will still be some big names involved with the actual parade portion of the event. There are a huge number of famous performers involved, along with the usual marching bands and floats. Here’s NBC’s big list.

Many of these extras are musical guests, but I am interested to see what the Duck Dynasty clan’s appearance will look like. More importantly, I think the performance by Jimmy Fallon and The Roots with the cast of Sesame Street should be a must-watch. Fallon has frequently collaborated with the Roots and other random musical artists during his late night show, including Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, Carly Rae Jepsen, and even Mariah Carey. He likes to hang with some of the biggest names in the music industry, but we’ll see how he fares when some Sesame Street characters are added into the mix.

But that’s not all. Carrie Underwood will be performing live during the first hour of the broadcast. Additionally, the Rockettes and some of Broadway’s best will pop up, like the cast of Matilda. This year will also offer 15 giant character balloons, including a 75th Anniversary Wizard of Oz balloon, 30 floats, 1,600 cheerleaders, and 11 bands. That will be a lot to take in, but it should be a nice program to have on while you are busy making stuffing and pumpkin pie, or totally sitting around while your Grandma does all the work. You can check out more about this year’s parade here.

Matt Lauer is busy trying to work his way back into public popularity and there’s really no better way to accomplish this than by being chummy with the ever-popular cult phenomenon, Psy. The South Korean singer joined the Today Show for a second time on Friday and Lauer came out of his shell and did something he almost never does and vowed he wouldn’t do when Psy hit the set: He danced.

Several members of the Today show staff join Psy on the show’s outdoor stage this time around in order to learn the brand new dance for the singer’s second worldwide hit, “Gentleman.” Psy is pretty good about teaching everyone the steps, but it’s Lauer who seriously shines with the moves. Honestly, I’m not sure if Lauer got in a little practice ahead of time, but his version of Psy’s “Gentleman” dance is hilarious, especially when he’s working the hip thrusts.

Around the time Psy showed up on the set to perform “Gangnam Style,” Lauer told Leno he hadn’t danced in 17 years and wasn’t about to change that hot fact just because Psy was visiting the set. This time around, the man saw dancing as a little more necessary and even thanked the singer via Twitter after the event.

Hey, whatever gets him back into the Today watchers’ and NBC officials’ good graces following the Anne Curry fiasco, right?

Many Today Show viewers may have seen Savannah Guthrie flip off Matt Lauer during the above segment, but the anchor herself claims it was all one big optical illusion. She says she actually threw up an entirely different finger but because of the angle of the camera and how her hand was positioned, it seemed like she was shooting her colleague the bird.

Here’s what Savannah had to say about the incident she’s taken to calling “Fingergate” on Twitter…

When viewed from a distance, it’s easy to see why this story has gained so much traction. The Today Show has been a hot mess of problems for more than a year. At times, the drama has even played out on the screen. Thus, this whole possible middle finger thing plays right into all of those storylines.

That being said, this really does seem like a case where the context needs to be taken in. It’s obvious from the look on Savannah’s face that she’s annoyed as if her sibling just got the best of her, not as if someone just shot her dog. So, even if she did flip off Matt, which I think she may have, it was more of an impulse joke than a serious attempt to offend.

Unfortunately, even if there isn’t any controversy here, it doesn’t change the fact that Today needs to improve its ratings immediately or face another embarrassing change-up.

Matt Lauer may be able to stay on Today for as long as he wishes, but that may only end up being until his contract runs out. Early rumors are indicating that Lauer is at the top of the pile of names being looked at to potentially take over for Alex Trebek on the long-running series Jeopardy in 2016.

Trebek’s health has not been the best in recent years, having had two heart attacks, but the NY Post says he has signed one last three-year contract in order to give Jeopardy’s production company, Sony Pictures Television, time to find a host. The current frontrunners are Lauer and CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who both have contracts coming up for renewal in the next couple of years. According to the outlet, the original idea was to have Lauer pull double duty, but with Lauer’s tenure on Today up in the air, the man may not have to.

Lauer has come under fire recently after Today’s parent network, NBC, botched the removal of Ann Curry from the show, which was also widely credited to Lauer’s decision-making. Though both the host and NBC have since said the Curry decision is not the 55-year-old’s fault, Today has been continuously dropping in the ratings since.

Sony is still in the early stages of the decision-making process, so we’ll have to see how the decision pans out. Either way, I don’t think they can go wrong with Lauer or Cooper.

Last year, Ann Curry was unceremoniously dumped from Today, much to the chagrin of many fans who thought it was unfair to blame her for the long-running show’s struggles. Unfortunately for NBC, her ouster did nothing to stem the slumping ratings. In fact, the mass migration over to Good Morning America only accelerated, and many departing viewers took to the Internet to cite longtime host Matt Lauer as the primary cause for their frustrations. At the time, most observers thought Lauer was simply tuning the criticism out, but it turns out, the exact opposite was true.

In a new interview with The Daily Beast, NBC Universal Chief Steve Burke admits that Lauer was vehemently against Curry’s firing at the time and even offered to resign when the ratings started going south and people blamed him. The higher ups at the network never even considered accepting his offer, however. In fact, to this day, they’re convinced Lauer is still the biggest strength the show has going for it. That being said, everyone involved does agree Curry’s firing was not handled well.

Here’s what Lauer had to say…

Moving forward, everyone at Today is making a concerted effort to be more positive and to cover stories people actually enjoy watching, as opposed to celebrity scandals and true crime incidents. With a new producer and a second place fire under their ass for the first time in more than a decade, they should be able to rebound too.

Most pickpockets rely on the element of surprise. They swoop their fast fingers and nefarious intentions into jackets and purses and slide them back out, ideally without the victim realizing a misdemeanor level crime/ dick move even occurred. Apollo Robbins isn’t most pickpockets, however. He’s like the Larry Bird of the street hustle. He prefers to tell his victims what’s coming, and over the past few decades, he’s turned that shit-talking, greasy fingers artistry into a lucrative business which he stopped by Today last week to demonstrate.

Go ahead and check out the video below of Apollo squaring off against hapless victims Ryan Seacrest, Willie Geist and Matt Lauer below…

I like how much flair this guy has. It’s one thing to take someone’s watch. It’s quite another to do it and dangle the treasure over the poor guy’s head like he’s an incompetent bozo. Poor Willie. He somehow never saw it coming, despite the fact that Robbins was there with the express purpose of pilfering his personal possessions.

I have no idea how Robbins was able to figure out he was this good at stealing things, but he deserves a massive round of applause for turning those thieving skills into a lucrative legal business. He makes appearances all over the world and does special jobs for some of the biggest companies in the world. So, if you’re at a corporate retreat and see the dude’s face, keep your hands in your pockets for the duration of the event.

A month and a half after Ann Curry was unceremoniously dumped from her job on Today, reportedly with the full blessing of co-host Matt Lauer, her buddy Al Roker decided to get a little revenge via surprise, snarky comment. The sneak attack was made while Lauer was finishing up an interview with the gold medal-winning rowing team in which the ladies discussed throwing one of their own into the water to celebrate their victory. Lauer said it was like the New York tradition of throwing people in the Hudson River, and Roker shot back that it was like the Today tradition of throwing each other under the bus.

No one saw the comment coming, including the other on-air personalities who did their best to frantically play off the normally affable weatherman’s sneaky left hook. You can take a look at footage of the incident below…

I’m not going to criticize Al for what he did. It was unfair of NBC to axe Curry without giving her time to get comfortable, and if Lauer really did say he wouldn't return if she remained, that was poor form. That being said, comments like this are causing Good Morning America to draw even with Today. When people tune into a morning show, they want to say a well-oiled machine filled with good chemistry and good-natured laughs. For decades, Today ran on that exact format, but as the behind the scenes madness has heated up, the on-air product has started slumping.

Here’s to hoping everyone can get on the same page sooner rather than later.

It’s always easier to blame one person for a team’s failure. That’s why Russell Westbrook, at least prior to his monster game four performance, was a convenient scapegoat for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and that’s why Ann Curry is currently feeling the heat on NBC’s Today. A few months ago, the show was beat in the ratings by Good Morning America for the first time in almost two decades. The downtick coincided with Matt Lauer’s vacation, and Katie Couric’s appearance on GMA, but even so, it’s clear Today is no longer the juggernaut it once was.

As a result, the network is reportedly considering a reshuffling, and the current rumor has Curry getting the big ugly axe. Well, more specifically, the whispers have her being transferred to a far less cushy position, possibly as a foreign correspondent. Given her journalism acumen, she would no doubt take to the role, but still, no one likes being forced out of a job they love.

I’ll be the first to say Curry was better at the news desk and is a bit of a downgrade from Meredith Vieira, but I really don’t think it’s fair to blame her for the show’s problems. She’s only been given a year or so next to Lauer, and I think it would be a bit premature to move in another direction.

What do you think? Is Ann Curry Today’s biggest problem? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

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For more questions of the day, head here.

Matt Lauer’s possible shake-up over at NBC’s Today has left room for much speculation. First, rumors abounded Ryan Seacrest could take over as a co-anchor if Lauer does decide to leave the show when his contract ends after 2012. If Lauer leaves Today, it seems likely NBC might try to make room for him in a different format. That is, unless another network manages to snap the man up. One thing is for certain: losing Lauer on Today would mean he would need a new gig somewhere, and 60 Minutes would be happy to take him.

Of course, moving to 60 Minutes would mean a hop, skip, and a jump over to a new network. Officially, NBC and Lauer can’t even entertain any offers until next September. However, CBS Newschairman Jeff Fager told THR 60 Minutes would “love to have” Lauer. CBS may be in the wishful thinking stage at this juncture, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope for the future.

Lauer has been on Today since 1997. Over the years he’s learned to work with multiple co-anchors and in multiple formats (recently he hosted a yearly Thanksgiving special). Even with the change-ups, more than a decade at the same place could grow a little stale. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Lauer was excited about a change of pace. Regardless, NBC executives probably want to keep the anchor on Today or at least on the network if it can find the right place for him. This seems especially true since NBC was quick to hasten the Seacrest meeting was less about replacing Lauer and more about making room for the American Idol host. We have a while to wait before any real deals roll in, but I’m guessing this time next year, Lauer will have made a sweet deal for himself.

Ryan Seacrest is the ultimate jack of all trades in entertainment right now, hosting American Idol and his own radio show and various E! events and, of course, the New Year's Eve show he inherited from Dick Clark. But would he have time to add yet another show to his resume, and one filmed in New York no less? The Wall Street Journal writes that NBC wants Seacrest to take over hosting duties on the Today show if Matt Lauer leaves next year. Lauer apparently signaled earlier this year that he was thinking about leaving, and it's unclear if the Seacrest replacement idea is a serious bid or just a gambit to strengthen NBC"s negotiation power as they try to convince Lauer to stay.

Lauer has handled the male hosting duties on Today since 1997, when Bryant Gumbel left, and he's handled the show opposite Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira and now Ann Curry as co-hosts. After 14 years you couldn't blame the guy for looking for a change of pace, but at the same time the Today show gig is a pretty good one, and since they're the top morning news show and Lauer isn't known for much beyond it, it's hard to see where he could go from here that would be better. But if NBC wants to scare Lauer into staying, it's hard to imagine a better threat than hiring Seacrest, the universally liked and impossibly hard working host who seems capable of doing pretty much anything on television.

Seacrest's contract with NBC/Universal is up in 2012, so we might not have to wait much longer to see what his future at the company will be.