Natalie Morales to leave the Today Show according to reports
According to reports, Natalie Morales is being moved — against her will — off the “Today” show and over to “Dateline.”
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Hoda Kotb would replace Morales, a favorite of Matt Lauer, as the 7 to 9 a.m. newsreader. “They’ll try to position this as a ‘promotion’ for Natalie — but make no mistake, she’s not happy,” said one source to The New York Post.
“This sounds like someone is trying to stir up trouble after the ‘Today’ win in the demo last week,” an NBC News spokesperson told the paper. “We’ve got great momentum, we love our team and Natalie is an important part of it.”
However souces tell The Daily Mail the reports are nothing but hearsay.
‘This is all hogwash,’ the senior Today Show source said.
‘Natalie is beloved by the staff and millions of fans.
‘It’s pretty obvious this vicious rumor is being spread by a competitor nervous that we have won a week in the demo and are moving toward regaining our place as the number one morning show.’
An official NBC News spokesperson also shot down the rumors as rival-fueled.
‘We’ve got great momentum, we love our team and Natalie is an important part of it,’ they said.
Last fall, a report from US Weekly said that both Morales and Willie Geist had been fired from Today and were already seeking other jobs. But NBC stomped on this speculation too.
