The real story of what is going on behind the scenes at NBC's Today seems to depend on who you talk to, but one thing is for sure: It is not pretty. On Monday night, Nov. 17, the network confirmed that Jamie Horowitz, who was brought in less than three months ago as the morning show's general manager, had been fired. Horowitz was originally hired to make changes that would help Today climb back to the top of the ratings, but he was met with hostility from nearly everyone when he tried to implement changes.
According to a report by Page Six, Matt Lauer found out that Horowitz was gearing up to get rid of Natalie Morales, Willie Geist and even his co-host Savannah Guthrie. Lauer then went to NBC's top brass in protest and had Horowitz fired, proving he really is ultimately in charge of major Today decisions.
A new report is also out this morning claiming that Morales and Geist have already been fired and that he already has a gig lined up with CBS. Morales is reportedly in talks with ABC. While the show is currently getting beaten in the ratings on a regular basis by ABC's Good Morning America, getting rid of these two hardly seems like the best idea, especially since it has been thought that Geist has been groomed to eventually take over for Lauer.
Obviously some changes need to be made, but does getting rid of several people at the desk all at once really make sense? If you are a Today fan, will you continue watching if Geist and Morales have been fired? If you were in charge, what would you have done differently to make the morning show a success in the ratings? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
