The rumors about Ryan Seacrest replacing Matt Lauer on the Today show are premature after NBC Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt made the statement on Friday at the NBC TCA event in Los Angeles.
Although many have speculated that Ryan Seacrest may be a possible replacement for Matt Lauer on Today, the official word from NBC via New York Daily News is that the Seacrest rumors are too premature in the process. Since the American Idol contract of Ryan Seacrest expires after the upcoming season, insiders have speculated that Seacrest could replace Matt Lauer on Today should Lauer decide to leave when his contract is complete this year.
Despite the statement that the Ryan Seacrest issue is too early, Robert Greenblatt did say that Seacrest is a great asset. Greenblatt added that he hopes to keep Ryan in the NBC family since the network also owns E! television, where Seacrest has a mutlti-year deal and currently serves as executive producer of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
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However, as reported by NY Post, Greenblatt also remained committed to Matt Lauer, adding that he hopes Lauer “will stay on the show beyond the end of his contract” while also dealing with both issues. “But I think the number-one priority is Matt on ‘Today’ and simultaneously figuring out how to keep Ryan in the family.”
To date, nothing has been confirmed by either Matt Lauer or Ryan Secrest regarding future plans after their contracts.