Ryan Seacrest Today Show Host? NBC Reportedly Courts 'Idol' Host To Succeed Matt Lauer

Seacrest in?

NBC is considering Ryan Seacrest as a potential successor to Matt Lauer on "The Today Show," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Wall Street Journal reports that several NBC executives met with the "American Idol" host earlier this week to discuss the possible new gig.

Lauer reportedly signaled that he will leave the show after his contract expires at the end of next year, according to an April report in the Los Angeles Times.

Mediate reported in August that Seacrest's name was being floated as a potential Lauer replacement.

Seacrest told The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year that he was looking forward to the possibility of more "Today" appearances.

Lauer is almost inseparable from the identity of NBC's legendary morning show, having been a co-host on the program since 1997.

The talks with Seacrest — who has a bevy of other projects, including a daily radio show, "E! News" and "American Idol" — on his plate, are in their infancy. They are also sure to be controversial, given Seacrest's lack of a journalistic background. His ascension would ruffle the feathers of many critics who say that shows like "Today" have gone too far in the direction of softer, more entertainment-oriented news. One of those critics happens to be Ann Curry, who told the Daily Beast in November that she wanted "more spinach and less sugar" on the show.

Below, see some of the people Seacrest would be joining in the mornings:

• Matt Lauer

  Lauer co-hosts NBC's "Today" from 7-9 a.m. "Today" ranks number one as the morning show leader. The show provides viewers with a mix of hard and soft news.

• Ann Curry

  Curry co-hosts NBC's "Today" from 7-9 a.m.

• Robin Roberts

  Roberts co-hosts ABC's "Good Morning America" from 7-9 a.m. "GMA" trails behind "Today" in the number two spot. However, it significantly tightened the ratings gap in 2011. The show provides viewers with a mix of hard and soft news.

• George Stephanopoulos

  Stephanopoulos co-hosts ABC's "Good Morning America" from 7-9 a.m.

• Charlie Rose

  Rose will co-host CBS' "The Early Show" with Erica Hill from 7-8 a.m. CBS recently announced the addition of Rose and Gayle King and a decidedly focused hard news program. "The Early Show" has consistently trailed its network show competitors, "GMA" and "Today."

• Gayle King

  King will co-host CBS' "The Early Show" from 8-9 a.m.

• Erica Hill

  Hill currently co-hosts CBS' "The Early Show." She will co-host the program with Charlie Rose from 7-8 a.m.

• Steve Doocy

  Doocy co-hosts Fox News' "Fox and Friends" from 6-9 a.m. "Fox and Friends" dominates cable news morning shows.

• Gretchen Carlson

  Carlson co-hosts Fox News' "Fox and Friends" from 6-9 a.m.

• Brian Kilmeade

  Kilmeade co-hosts Fox News' "Fox and Friends" from 6-9 a.m.

• Joe Scarborough

  Scarborough co-hosts MSNBC's "Morning Joe" from 6-9 a.m. "Morning Joe" focuses solely on hard news and political commentary.

• Mika Brzezinski

  Brzezinski co-hosts MSNBC's "Morning Joe" from 6-9 a.m.

• Soledad O'Brien

  O'Brien will co-host CNN's 7-9 a.m. morning news program. CNN's "American Morning" fell behind MSNBC and even its own HLN. The network recently announced the return of O'Brien and the replacement of "Amerian Morning" with two new morning programs.

• Ashleigh Banfield

  Banfield will co-host CNN's 5-7 a.m. morning news program.

• Zoraida Sambolin

  Sambolin will co-host CNN's 5-7 a.m. morning news program.

Comments

[loho67]

10:32 AM on 01/20/2012

Ann Curry needs to add some sugar to her personality ... she is WAY to serious and boring to watch. She was great at the news desk but I don't care for her at all in her new role.

[EqualTime]

02:26 PM on 12/12/2011

Is it true that Matt Lauer was earning $17M and wanted $25M? It will be interesting if he leaves to see if he can replace that kind of income. I think he'll join Shelly Long, McLean Stevenson, Charlie Sheen and a host of others who didn't know a good thing when it was paying them more than they deserved.

[BuddyMaine]

03:30 AM on 12/12/2011

Well, there goes the TODAY SHOW! I for one will not watch it if Ryan S. becomes the host. He is not suave enough to take the place of Matt L. Ryan is a fake, prettyboy, who thinks he's got what it takes. THINK AGAIN, RYAN!

[mysto99]

08:56 PM on 12/11/2011

Ryan is the right IDOL host--not for the Today Show..he is rich and hit it lucky with the young crowd. The right place at the right time..He is not serious enough or the background for real news.Perhaps only for .the fluff stuff on the show, and the cooking segments..he will flake out if he takes over Matt's gig. He just doesn't have the right stuff for that job.

[swolshon]

05:07 PM on 12/10/2011

I personally, have NEVER liked Matt Lauer. I think Matt is somewhat SARCASTIC and full of himself from the occasional times I've seen/heard him on 'TODAY.' I think Ryan Seacrest would bring a "breath of fresh air" to the show. I think Ryan is attractive to the eyes, has a PLEASANT
personality, and I just plain LIKE Ryan. Ryan would be an ASSET to the TODAY Show.... I think Anderson Cooper would "have been" another awesome person (too bad Anderson already has his own show.) He's a winner personality!!! BOTH these men are cutie's in my opinion.

[Mo-nique]

03:26 PM on 12/10/2011

Ann Curry has it right: the TODAY Show needs to increase the real news--like their first half-hour--and pull back on the fluff and especially the insufferable number of commercials. Mrs. Curry gets to do some of the most serious reporting NBC ever sponsors--Brian Williams uses her stuff regularly on "NBC Nightly News"--and she does it well. I've been watching TODAY for 25 years, and it used to be much more seriously focussed. And to the person who labelled all the photos that go with this story, Ann Curry and all the other women involved are, by definition, "co-hostesses," and not "co-hosts." They are different, and they see things differently, or the networks wouldn't worry about pairing men and women at the top of these shows.

[raker]

01:13 PM on 12/10/2011

The Today Show is not a news program. Matt Lauer is no more a news reporter than is Ryan Seacrest. And neither were Hugh Downs or Barbara Walters or Joe Garagiola or Bryant Gumble, so what's the big deal? Seacrest is perfect for the job.

[madcityy]

11:13 AM on 12/10/2011

ONEMORE REason to shun nbc am.................

[awa611]

10:24 AM on 12/10/2011

Well, I don't watch television much anymore but I can say that it's dweebs like Seacrest that have steered me in that direction. I seriously doubt that's really who they're courting to replace Matt Lauer.

[jrsurferboy]

11:26 PM on 12/09/2011

i guess they don't want any one,watching. a monkey could do,that,
job!! and dose every day...

[laneil1]

09:41 PM on 12/09/2011

Seacrest has a face for radio...

[TheCarCzarsPage]

09:27 PM on 12/09/2011

NBC to Matt: Don't get old!

[mcniner]

08:51 PM on 12/09/2011

Since when has the Today show been a news show? Morning shows have been filled with fluff for decades. Ann Curry has absolutely no journalistic credibility for starters, what's she moaning about.

[stevi]

08:02 PM on 12/09/2011

What a bad idea this would be. Seacrest has absolutely no news credibility and he is the "genius" who has brought us the vacuous kardashians. I cannot begin to imagine Ryan doing any kind of straight news or interviews that are not designed to be exploitive or provocative.

[BlackJAC]

07:21 PM on 12/09/2011

You can relax, people: he's got too many things going on in LA to just relocate to New York City.