Al Roker addressed Tamron Hall’s sudden exit from the “Today” show on Thursday, just one day after news broke that she had left NBC altogether.
Roker opened the third hour of the show to express his well wishes for Hall, who had reportedly been offered a multi-million year contract to stay at the network after execs decided to cancel the “Today’s” troubled 9 a.m. hour, which had been helmed by Roker and Hall.
The decision was made to make room for a brand new morning news program anchored by incoming talent, Megyn Kelly, who was cable news’ highest-rated anchor during her time at Fox News.
“As some of you may have heard by now, our good friend Tamron Hall has decided to leave NBC News,” Roker said on Thursday. “Personally, Tamron has been not just a co-hoest here on ‘Today’s Take’ for the past three years, but a good friend — and not just to me, to all of us here.”
Hall’s abrupt exit marks yet another messy moment for the highly-rated morning news program, which has experienced hiccups in the past with Billy Bush’s notorious Trump-fueled exit last year and Ann Curry’s contentious sign-off in 2012.
Sources told People that Hall turned down a massive offer to stay at NBC because of the network’s decision to cancel the third hour of “Today,” which “left her feeling hurt and offended.”
“The last 10 years have been beyond anything I could have imagined, and I’m grateful. I’m also very excited about the next chapter,” Hall said in a statement on Wednesday. “To all my great colleagues, I will miss you and I will be rooting for you.”
Source: AOL/Gibson Johns
