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Another ‘Today’ Cast Shakeup Coming? Rumor Sparks That Megyn Kelly Could Be Pushed Aside For MSNBC Host

By Heather Tooley
Published on: 06:13 PST, Aug 16, 2017

Behind-the-scenes chaos at Today never ends when it comes to casting shakeups, and rumors are flying around again after an article out suggests Megyn Kelly may already be pushed aside for another host to take over the morning program’s third hour. Kelly was hired earlier this year by NBC and is currently out promoting Today’s third hour that she’ll be hosting called Megyn Kelly Today, which begins on September 25.

A TV insider tells Radar Online that Megyn Kelly may slowly be phased out before she even starts Today. According to the source, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow could be a threat to Kelly. Why the possible change? Megyn was paid $17 million by NBC and her Sunday night news magazine, Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly, tanked in the ratings, allegedly frustrating studio executives; the network ended the summer run two episodes early.

“Expect Today to introduce Rachel slowly — putting her on once or twice a week, and then increasing her role until she’s a full-time member of the Today family,” the source says.

A separate insider tells the celebrity news outlet that Rachel is NBC’s “new golden girl” and head honchos have “big plans for her future,” which includes adding her to the third hour of Today with Megyn to start with. Keeping talent fresh is key, and the network keeps a continuous cycle of “new flavor” going from month-to-month, the insider explains. For instance, it was Ryan Seacrest and then it was Willie Geist before Megyn Kelly made it on the list. The low ratings of Megyn’s Sunday night program are making NBC consider Rachel Maddow for the latest Today cast shakeup. Add to that, the TV insider claims that Rachel feels jilted over Megyn making so much money at NBC. She’s one of the only women who hosts a successful show on MSNBC and isn’t paid nearly the same amount of money.

If this cast change does happen, the source reveals that Today has an “audience of one” and that’s Matt Lauer. If she’s in with Matt, then it’s a sure bet Rachel will take over Today’s third hour. In past rumors of Today cast chatter, Gossip Cop has already squashed a number of reports that Megyn is replacing Matt Lauer on the morning show’s first hour.

The article suggests that there’s a feud between Megyn Kelly and Rachel Maddow over the possible Today cast shakeup before the third hour even begins. If any changes are made to the cast, the studio typically waits to gauge how the viewing audience responds.

[Featured Image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]

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