Meredith Vieira Officially Announces Resignation, Ann Curry as his successor
Monday, May 9, 2011 by Admin
Meredith Vieira on this morning’s Today Show. “You can never get enough of it and it just keeps ticking away. I know that I want to spend more of mine with my husband Richard and my kids.”Vieira’s husband has been battling multiple sclerosis and colon cancer for years and her impending departure has been rumored for at least two months. Today’s announcement made it official: After five years of co-hosting NBC’s Today Show, which earns some $500 million in ad revenues for the network, Vieira will step down in June and has named news anchor Ann Curry as her successor.
Curry’s response? ““I feel like the high school computer nerd who was just asked to prom by the quarterback of the football team.”
“It was September, 2006 when I sat down next to Matt at the anchor desk,” Vieira said this morning, holding hands with Lauer on the couch. “And he said something to me that morning, he said: “Remember that this is not a sprint but a long distance run.’ Well I’ve tried to run it with my heart and soul.”
Changes in lineup are uncommon on the Today Show, Lauer noted, but this morning’s announcement seems more like a juggle than a whole new cast. Curry will replace Vieira, who, with five years under her belt was still the new girl on Today’s couch. Curry was passed over once before as co-anchor, losing out to Vieira when she joined the cast in 2006. Natalie Morales, who has hosted the 9am hour for several years, will replace Curry at the news desk.
Both Lauer and Curry have been with the show since 1997, and their chemistry will surely be closely watched, as the Today Show has carefully cultivated the family dynamic between its four leads. Vieira and Lauer seemed comfortable in the roles of mom and dad. Will Lauer-Curry be as touchy feely as the Lauer-Vieira pairing? Will Curry’s experience in international news overshadow Lauer’s playfulness?
What’s interesting is that the rumor mill has been spinning for weeks that Lauer himself also might be considering jumping ship when his contract expires at the end of 2012. Considering this morning’s reshuffling, it makes me look forward to a Today future with Curry and Al Roker at the helm.
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