Now Matt Lauer says he’s leaving the “Today” show, too.
A day after reports that Meredith Vieira was likely to quit the granddaddy of morning shows this fall, it was reported that Lauer — who has been a fixture on “Today” for 17 years — was through at the end of 2012.
“Entertainment Tonight,” citing unnamed sources, reported late yesterday that Lauer has informed his bosses at “Today” that he did not intended to re-sign when his current contract expires in 20 months.
His departure — without an obvious new job waiting for him elsewhere — immediately set off speculation that Lauer might be re-uniting with his former co-host, Katie Couric, for an afternoon talk show — tentatively set to start in 2012.
It would also leave NBC with the difficult job of reconstructing a whole new frontline for one of its most profitable TV shows.
News reader Ann Curry would be a natural successor to Vieira — but there is no comparable male figure on the show who could seamlessly step into Lauer’s shoes.
Lauer began as the newsreader on the morning show in 1994 and moved up to co-host in 1997 when Bryant Gumbel left.
NBC seemed a bit stunned yesterday by the double whammy of losing two anchors within 24 hours.
Emails to the show’s longtime producer, Jim Bell, were not returned.
In a prepared statement, the show said: “There seems to be an awful lot of speculation around news anchors these days, and it’s not our practice to comment on any of it.”