Carson Daly will fill in as guest host of the 9 a.m. hour of "Today" next week starting Monday.
"Next week in our 3rd hr: @WillieGeist and @alroker are back, @NMoralesNBC goes on vaco and in for her..... @CarsonDaly," Don Nash, the show's executive producer, tweeted on Friday.
The choice, which departs from the show's usual roster of substitute co-hosts from NBC News, might surprise some viewers. Lester Holt and Erica Hill, the co-hosts of "Weekend Today," filled in during the third hour on Friday, for example. MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall is also a substitute co-host on "Today," as was Willie Geist before he was promoted to host the show's third hour in November. Daly currently hosts NBC's "The Voice."
Daly's temporary gig comes amidst reports that "Today" is considering adding another person to the cast after the hit to Matt Lauer's public image. "Even if the person appeared only on the 9 a.m. hour, which Mr. Lauer is not a part of, such an addition would make 'Today' more of an ensemble show, seemingly less dependent on his star power," The New York Times' Brian Stelter wrote.
"Today" is pushing hard to move past the negative publicity around Ann Curry's departure last June. Patricia Fili-Krushel, the chairman of the NBC Universal News Group, recently blamed the show's woes on what she described as complacency, suggesting that the show may be trying new things in the days ahead.
"When you are No. 1, it's easy to stop taking chances," she told The Los Angeles Times earlier this month. "I think we just stopped innovating."
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