News Anchors Who Disappeared From Today
NBC's "Today" first launched in 1952. On the very first broadcast, the show's first anchor, Dave Garroway, told viewers, "Good morning. The very first good morning of what I hope or suspect will be a great many good mornings between you and I." Over the decades, some of the most iconic journalists in television history have sat behind the show's anchor desk, including Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Bryant Gumbel, and many more. For the show's 70th anniversary, longtime host Savannah Guthrie reflected, "The audience is the beating heart of this show." Fellow host Hoda Kotb agreed, adding, "It's people who feel like family."
Like any family, "Today" has had its ups and downs over the years. While many anchors have left the show for typical reasons, the show's last few decades have occasionally felt like a revolving door. Anchors have come and gone, in some cases disappearing almost as suddenly as they were hired. The shakeups have left viewers confused and fascinated by the show's behind-the-scenes drama, wondering why the familiar faces who shared the news during their morning coffee were suddenly gone. Here's why these news anchors disappeared from "Today."
Katie Couric tried her shot at anchoring the evening news
Katie Couric assumed hosting duties on "Today" way back in 1991. "I'm thrilled to be here, and I guess this means you're stuck with me," she joked to co-host Bryant Gumbel on her first day. "... or, maybe, I'm stuck with you," she added. Couric became a familiar face each morning to millions of viewers. In 1995, "Today" topped the morning show ratings, beginning an unimpeachable winning streak that would stretch for more than 15 years.
After 15 years, Couric left "Today" to anchor "CBS Evening News" instead. Announcing her departure, Couric made sure to mention the connection she'd built with viewers during her time at "Today." "I know I don't know the vast majority of you personally and it may sound kind of corny, but I really feel as if we've become friends through the years," she said. "And you've been with me during a lot of good times. And some very difficult ones as well. And hopefully, I've been there for you."
Unfortunately for Couric and for CBS, her morning-show hype didn't transfer to nighttime news ratings. Couric later shared with "Today" how she felt about her time at CBS, saying she encountered a culture of sexism, a far cry from the environment she knew from daytime television. "I thought America was really ready for a female anchor of the evening news, and I think we were just not as far along as I naively thought," she reflected.
After five years, Meredith Vieira became tired and needed a change
Watching the footage of Meredith Vieira's first day as "Today" anchor, it's uncomfortable to witness the interaction between her and co-anchor Matt Lauer. "I feel like it's the first day of school, and I'm sitting next to the cutest guy in the class, you know? That's you," she joked, gripping Lauer's hand tightly. "You can stay!" he said in response. The moment she released his hand, he reached out and touched her. Lauer, meanwhile, couldn't help but bring up the show's frequent turnover. "I have not been more excited to come to work since the day after Bryant [Gumbel] was leaving," he cracked.
Vieira lasted five years on the show. Today.com even aggregated rumors of her impending exit, quoting a source who denied the speculation and told E! News, "'The Today Show' anchors are currently under contract and firmly in place."
The anchor confirmed the gossip the following month, announcing on air that she'd be leaving the show. "Even as I say this, and I know that it is the right thing, I'm really sad," she said. Unlike many "Today" anchors who left amid scandal and turmoil, Vieira seems to have simply been tired of her early wake-up call. When she visited "Today" in 2022, Vieira reflected, "I felt so torn about it, and really tired. And I realized, if I signed up again, I'd be signing up for a paycheck ... I didn't want to do that."
Willie Geist moved to weekends
Willie Geist became part of "Today" on a permanent basis in 2012. Originally a political commentator, Geist was a regular fixture on MSNBC, where he continued to appear after joining the "Today" team. He told The New York Times he "wanted to keep a foot in the 'Morning Joe' political world," noting that after that show ended, "I'll jog across the street." In a statement to the newspaper, producer Jim Bell said, "[Geist] brings a solid news background with a keen sense of creativity and humor. From politics to pop culture, Willie is a skilled and versatile reporter."
Geist served for several years as the host of the third hour of "Today." In 2014, online rumors surfaced that he'd been fired, but Geist continued to host the show, even appearing on camera to joke about the false allegations. "That's not what I read on the internet," co-host Tamron Hall teased.
The funnyman finally left the weekday version of the show in 2016 when he was replaced by new hire Billy Bush. While he disappeared from "Today" from Monday through Friday, Geist has continued to host "Sunday Today with Willie Geist." He even put in one final stop on the main show to pass on his "Today's Take" hosting duties to his successor. "Billy Bush is a good, and an old friend, and a great guy ... The show's in great hands."
The Access Hollywood tape ended Billy Bush's Today time
Unfortunately for Billy Bush, his time on "Today" would be tumultuous and brief. He was first announced as a member of the cast in May 2016 when weatherman Al Roker tweeted a welcome. That summer, Bush interviewed Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte about Lochte's claim to have been robbed at gunpoint, which later turned out to be untrue. The situation caused tension between Bush and his co-hosts, including Roker. The two got into an on-air back-and-forth, with Bush telling his co-star to "calm down." Nevertheless, toward the end of August, Bush was announced as the new co-host of the show's third hour, taking over from Willie Geist, of course, who stepped away to host the weekend edition.
But just two months later, Bush was out due to scandal. While working for "Access Hollywood" in 2005, Bush appeared on tape with Donald Trump as the future president bragged about assaulting women. When the tape leaked at the height of the 2016 presidential campaign, Bush's limited time at "Today" came to an end. "Let me be clear — there is simply no excuse for Billy's language and behavior on that tape," NBC vice president Noah Oppenheim wrote in a memo, according to Today.com.
Bush later said he was upset that "Today" veteran Matt Lauer hadn't supported him. "That he didn't fight for me is so deeply hurtful," Bush told Men's Health. Lauer's time on "Today," of course, would soon come to an end as well.
Ann Curry's co-host was allegedly responsible for her tearful departure
Ann Curry joined the cast of "Today" back in 1997 as a newscaster. Fourteen years later, she became a full-time co-anchor, filling the spot left open by Meredith Vieira's departure. "You've come to know and love Ann Curry for 14 years as 'Today's' newscaster," Matt Lauer told viewers on her first day. "Now she's heading to the anchor desk, as we begin an exciting new era." Curry grinned, "I really feel like Cinderella. Ann Curry, aka Cinderella."
Unfortunately, despite her many years of service at NBC, Curry's tenure behind the "Today" desk was short-lived. In 2012, she teared up as she told the audience it would be her final day as anchor. "This is not as I expected, to ever leave this couch after fifteen years, but I am so grateful," she said. A staffer told New York Magazine that she was squeezed out of the show because Lauer didn't like her. "Everybody at NBC, everybody at the 'Today' show, everybody understood that Ann was kicked out of her position because Matt didn't want her there," they revealed.
Years later, Curry finally spoke about the situation. "It hurt like hell," she told People in 2018. Thankfully, despite all the behind-the-scenes drama that followed, Curry treated her firing as a learning experience. "I'm smarter. I'm happier, as happy as I've ever been," she said. "And my compassion has only grown."
NBC replaced Tamron Hall with a Fox News host
After spending a few years as a regular fill-in host on "Today," Tamron Hall officially joined the cast in 2014. "She brings wit, enthusiasm and a keen sensibility to an all-around fantastic team," executive producer Don Nash said in a statement for Today.com. Hall's time on the show's third hour would ultimately only last three years because, on February 2, 2017, Al Roker broke the news live on "Today" to announce that his co-host would be stepping away. "Personally, Tamron has been not just a co-host here on 'Today's Take' for the past three years," he said, "but a good friend ... We want to wish her nothing but the best."
Hall's departure came when the show's third hour was handed over to former Fox News host Megyn Kelly. Hall told USA Today that she wasn't necessarily bothered by who replaced her but rather the fact that she was squeezed out in the first place. "I didn't want to watch as my profile was being shrunk down to nothing," she reflected. Speaking at a panel hosted by Vulture, Hall said, "It was an easy decision, because there was no other decision to make."
Kelly didn't last long on "Today" — see below — while Hall went on to host her own daytime talk show. "I know that I have a unique perspective and voice in this business that is appreciated by people who watch TV," she told USA Today. "I'm grateful for that."
Natalie Morales jumped ship to CBS
Natalie Morales began her "Today" career in 2003, filling in for Ann Curry. Looking back at that first day behind the desk, she told "Today" that she was very nervous. Her nerves melted away, though, as soon as she heard the show's iconic intro music. "It was this incredible [moment] ... to know that you're a part of something that is so amazing and has done so much for our public," she reflected. "... I'm really proud to be a part of the show."
In 2016, Morales relocated to the West Coast, continuing to anchor "Today" segments far away from the iconic Rockefeller Plaza set where most of the cast worked. This led to rumors that she was reassigned after having an affair with Matt Lauer. An insider told Page Six, "There's an awkwardness between Matt and Natalie ... He protected her for a long time and now it seems like something has gone awry." Both parties denied the affair to Page Six, and Morales continued to be part of the NBC family, working for both "Today" and "Access Hollywood."
In 2022, Morales left "Today" to join CBS morning show "The Talk" instead. "I needed a change," she told People. "I had been there a long time and being out here in Los Angeles, I wasn't getting to do as many of the things that I wanted to do."
Megyn Kelly left Today amid a blackface controversy
In 2017, "Today" made perhaps its most controversial hiring decision of the show's history. Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News host perhaps best known online for insisting that Santa "just is white" (via NBC News), was handed the third hour of "Today." The show — rebranded "Megyn Kelly Today" — came with a reported $17 million yearly salary, according to Variety. It also came with a new persona for Kelly, bearing the new, slightly-confusing tagline, "Not about us versus them. It's about us for everyone."
The show premiered in September 2017, with its early fumbles dogged by critics. Jezebel, for example, ran a snarky column called "Megyn Kelly Today, Today" that summarized the show. In October 2018, after little more than a year at "Today," Kelly sparked a genuine scandal. As she talked about Countess Luann De Lesseps' dressing as Diana Ross on Halloween, Kelly claimed not to understand why blackface is considered racist. "She wants to look like Diana Ross for one day. I don't know how, like, that got racist on Halloween," she said, according to CNN.
Kelly later apologized for her comments, reflecting, "One of the wonderful things about my job is that I get the chance to express and hear a lot of opinions." The damage had been done, however, and NBC announced in a tweet that the show had been canceled. According to NBC News, Kelly received the remainder of her $69 million contract as severance.
Matt Lauer was fired after sexual misconduct allegations
Matt Lauer hosted "Today" for more than two decades, but he was fired in 2017 after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct emerged at the height of the Me Too Movement. An NBC employee met with network officials on a Monday night, according to Variety, and, by that Wednesday, Lauer had been shown the door. While NBC chairman Andy Lack claimed it was the first the organization had heard of Lauer's behavior, he confessed, "We were also presented with reason to believe that this may not have been an isolated incident."
The Variety article detailed a long pattern of misconduct, including the detail that Lauer had a button installed on his office desk that would lock his door. He would reportedly use that button to lock women in the room with him.
Co-host Savannah Guthrie announced Lauer's departure from "Today" on air, expressing her shock. "I'm heartbroken for Matt; he is my dear, dear friend and my partner, and he is beloved by many, many people here," she said. "And, I'm heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story, and any other women who have stories to tell ... how do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly?" Guthrie concluded her announcement by nodding toward the larger movement, expressing her hope for a future that "result[s] in workplaces where all women — all people — feel safe and respected."
Kathie Lee Gifford decided to pursue other passions
While the first few hours of "Today" are traditionally devoted to a mixture of morning-show fluff and hard news, the fourth hour of the show is much more relaxed. For many years, Kathie Lee Gifford hosted that hour alongside Hoda Kotb, with the two hosts frequently drinking wine on camera. While Kotb insisted, "It's to keep the mood festive and to keep it light and happy and uplifting," Gifford revealed to Today.com that the wine was mostly a prop. "If we drank anywhere near what people think we drink, we couldn't function at such an extraordinarily high professional level," she joked.
By 2019, Gifford had experienced a series of personal hardships, including the death of her husband and her parents, leading Gifford to realize it was time to pursue other dreams. She told Jimmy Fallon (via The Hollywood Reporter), "I'm a widow, I'm an orphan and I'm an empty nester and that just hit me like a ton of bricks. For the first time in my life, I have the time and the means to go and do anything I want to do." She planned to go into moviemaking instead.
On her last day, Gifford asked Kotb why their partnership succeeded. "I think it's because of you," Kotb said warmly. Gifford answered jokingly, "Yeah, that's what I think."