After rumors that Anderson Cooper was in talks to replace Matt Lauer on The Today Show surface, NBC issued a short but sweet statement simply saying: ‘We are not considering replacing Matt Lauer.’
NBC executives confirmed they had spoken with Cooper, but not to take over from Lauer. The network is constantly in talks with potential new talent.
‘The network has exploratory talks with talent inside and outside of the network. But to read anything specific into that is presumptuous.’
NBC News senior VP Alexandra Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement: ‘As we’ve said before, Matt Lauer is the best in the business. We want him in the Today show anchor chair for many years to come.’