NBC Today Show Ann Curry Fired; Natalie Morales May Be Next?
After months of speculation, "Today" might announce the exit of co-anchor Ann Curry by the end of this week due to a decrease in morning television ratings.
NBC's "Today" show previoulsly held the top spot for 16 years. However ABC's "Good Morning America" recently broke NBC's winning streak by landing the top spot.
New York Post just reported that "Today" show news anchor Natalie Morales may also be fired.
"If Natalie's passed over for the job, she's going to leave next," a source told New York Post.
"This will be the second time [Natalie] has been passed over for the top job. And she's not happy."
Ann Curry, host of NBC's morning television program "Today", was formerly a news anchor for the show before her promotion as host alongside Matt Lauer last year. Subsequently, Morales was also promoted and landed Curry's former news anchor job.
TMZ is reporting that Savannah Guthrie, who currently co-hosts the third hour of "Today" has already made a deal with NBC to succeed Curry as co-anchor with Matt Lauer. New York Post is also reporting that "Today" family member Hoda Kotb could replace Curry.
A NBC Universal rep had no comment on Curry or her replacement but said the talk about Morales being disgruntled is "totally untrue."
Sources said NBC executives are planning Curry's exit. The network has been negotiating a severance package from her $10 million a year contract.
Natalie Leticia Morales is a news anchor and national correspondent for NBC's Today. She was born in Taiwan to a Brazilian mother and a Puerto Rican father. She speaks Spanish and Portuguese and spent the first eighteen years of her life living overseas in Panama, Brazil and Spain.
She attended Rutgers University, and in 2010 co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant with rock musician Bret Michaels.
Natalie Morales started her career as an anchor, camera operator, editor and producer for News 12 - The Bronx.
