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:

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• Matt Lauer

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

• Guthrie 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.

• George Stephanopoulos

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

• Charlie Rose

  Rose co-hosts "CBS This Morning" from 7-8 a.m. CBS announced the addition of Rose and Gayle King and a decidedly focused hard news program earlier this year.

• Gayle King

  King co-hosts "CBS This Morning" from 8-9 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 co-hosts 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.

• Zoraida Sambolin

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