Matt Lauer and Al Roker acted like great buddies on the “Today” set, but sources said the disgraced morning host and the show’s upbeat weatherman had a relationship secretly riddled with bitterness and hard feelings! That was just one of the many secrets hidden away from viewers on NBC’s morning show, with Al quietly doing his job while outlasting both Matt and his other rival, former FOX News host Megyn Kelly! Al’s bad blood with Lauer first began flowing after the newsman was hired to work with the weatherman for New York’s WNBC in the early ’90s. Lauer later recalled: “Roker said something to me that I did not appreciate, live on television.” Matt had mispronounced Al’s name, and the wisecracking forecaster shot back: “Wow, not so easy in the big leagues, is it, pretty boy?” But, said insiders, that was just the first of many digs by Al over the years that “thin-skinned” Matt couldn’t handle…
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“Al is paid to not only be the weatherman,
but to be comic relief,” notes a source. “Al needles Matt, but many times, Matt can’t take the joke, and it creates bad blood.” Their rocky relationship continued after Al was hired as Today’s weatherman in 1996, and Lauer came on board as co-anchor the following year.
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Matt’s bitterness peaked in 2012 when ABC’s rival 'Good Morning America' beat the NBC morning show in the ratings for the first time in 16 years and Matt’s co-anchor
Ann Curry was axed. Al fueled rumors Matt masterminded Ann’s firing during a segment with the U.S. women’s rowing team.
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When a rower mentioned celebrating wins by tossing a teammate into the water immediately after a race, Al chimed in: “Which is different than our tradition, which is you
throw one of us under the bus. But that’s another story.”
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“I don’t know that Matt has ever truly forgiven Al for saying that on air,” said the mole. “Al was publicly fanning the flames.”
Matt also resents that “the cast and crew seem to flock toward Al (with
Hoda Kotb),” the source added. “They will tell Al anything.”
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Photo credit: Getty Images
While Matt publicly insisted that he and Al finally became “dear friends,” that’s baloney, said the source: “'dear friends' go out together after work, visit each other’s homes, ask about the family. Matt and Al do none of that!"
“Al is paid to not only be the weatherman,
but to be comic relief,” notes a source. “Al needles Matt, but many times, Matt can’t take the joke, and it creates bad blood.” Their rocky relationship continued after Al was hired as Today’s weatherman in 1996, and Lauer came on board as co-anchor the following year.
Photo credit: Getty Images
Matt’s bitterness peaked in 2012 when ABC’s rival 'Good Morning America' beat the NBC morning show in the ratings for the first time in 16 years and Matt’s co-anchor
Ann Curry was axed. Al fueled rumors Matt masterminded Ann’s firing during a segment with the U.S. women’s rowing team.
Photo credit: Getty Images
When a rower mentioned celebrating wins by tossing a teammate into the water immediately after a race, Al chimed in: “Which is different than our tradition, which is you
throw one of us under the bus. But that’s another story.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
“I don’t know that Matt has ever truly forgiven Al for saying that on air,” said the mole. “Al was publicly fanning the flames.”
Matt also resents that “the cast and crew seem to flock toward Al (with
Hoda Kotb),” the source added. “They will tell Al anything.”
Photo credit: Getty Images
While Matt publicly insisted that he and Al finally became “dear friends,” that’s baloney, said the source: “'dear friends' go out together after work, visit each other’s homes, ask about the family. Matt and Al do none of that!"
Photo credit: Getty Images
