Willie Geist To 'Today': 'Morning Joe' Host Becomes 9 AM Co-Anchor

Willie Geist Becomes 'Today' Co-Host
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: (L-R) Co-host Willie Geist speaks onstage during the 'Morning Joe' panel during the NBCUniversal portion of the 2012 Winter TCA Tour at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa on January 7, 2012 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: (L-R) Co-host Willie Geist speaks onstage during the 'Morning Joe' panel during the NBCUniversal portion of the 2012 Winter TCA Tour at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa on January 7, 2012 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Willie Geist will become the co-host of the 9 AM hour of "Today," the New York Times reported on Monday.

It's a big promotion for Geist, who has been steadily gaining prominence within NBC News. He'll join Al Roker, Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie. On top of his regular roles on "Morning Joe" and "Way Too Early," he's already a familiar face on "Today," as a frequent fill-in for Matt Lauer. His new role puts him on any shortlist for a successor to Lauer, though there will be fierce competition for that role.

The Times' Brian Stelter said that Geist will step down from "Way Too Early" and cut back on his role at "Morning Joe." He also said that Geist was contemplating jumping to CNN or CBS before NBC wooed him back with the "Today" offer.

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