Will Ryan Seacrest Replace Matt Lauer on ‘Today?’
Think of all of the different newscasters and/or talk show hosts who could take over one of the anchor spots on 'Today.' Brian Williams? Harry Smith? Maybe Anderson Cooper?
How about Ryan Seacrest?
That's the scenario brought forward from The Wall Street Journal. It's reporting that NBC is in talks with the 'American Idol' host to take over Matt Lauer's spot on the morning show if Lauer decides not to renew his contract.
Of course, as the WSJ says, this is all in the early stages and it could even be a negotiating strategy by NBC to get Lauer to stay. Neither side is talking about the negotiations. Lauer has been with 'Today' since 1997 and has been the constant anchor on the show over the years. Katie Couric and Meredith Vieira both left the show when their contracts were up.
It's hard to imagine Seacrest sitting next to current co-host Ann Curry at the desk. Sure, he could handle the celebrity interviews and cooking segments and other lighter moments, but could he really handle the hard news that happens in the first hour, the disasters, the interviews with world leaders?
If Seacrest does take over, let's just hope he doesn't use "Seacrest...out!" at the end of each show.