Matt Lauer

Count Matt Lauer among those who cannot wait to see the calendar flip to 2013.

Over the past few months, Lauer has been blamed for both the ousting of Ann Curry and The Today Show's floundering ratings.

Sources even say we may see Matt Lauer fired soon if more viewers don't tune in to NBC on weekday mornings.

With this pressure hanging over him, network insiders tell TMZ Lauer is "miserable" and is facing constant taunting on the streets, as Today fans refer to him as a "bad guy" and throw Curry's poorly handled departure in his face.

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Matt Lauer Fired!

According to a new report, the odds of seeing that headline are increasing by the day.

Sources tell Radar Online that new Today Show producer Alexandra Wallace has made it very clear: Lauer will be a goner if program ratings do not improve.

“The Today Show has always been considered a cash cow for the network," says this insider. "It dominated the morning news ratings for years and brought in millions of dollars in ad revenue.

“But if viewers continue preferring Good Morning America over The Today Show that revenue will decrease and cuts will have to be made."

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NBC News President Steve Capus has come to the defense of Matt Lauer.

With rumors continuing to swirl - Will Matt Lauer Fired soon be a headline? - and this anchor receiving much of the blame for The Today Show's slide in the ratings, Capus has come out and directed his anger at the Twitterverse.

"Sadly, this is the era in which we live," he tells The Daily Beast. "Venomous tweets somehow threaten to drown out all of those who praised Matt for his coverage.

“The Twitter snarkiness is an unfortunate result of misdirected anger that’s been unfairly placed on Matt. There has also been a lot of mean-spirited piling-on, which has been manufactured by many anonymous sources.”

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Has the axe come down on Matt Lauer?

According to The National Enquirer, the veteran Today Show host will soon be fired from the morning program, partly due to its floundering ratings and partly due to his relationships off camera.

"Matt is finally getting what he deserves," says the insider. “His years-long feuds with former co-hosts Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira and Ann Curry have taken their toll. Everyone has turned against him and Matt is going to be is going to be ousted."

The Ann Curry firing remains a polarizing issue for Today viewers and producers, with everyone agreeing it was handled poorly and many stating Lauer was responsible for the move.

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With ratings still down and The Today Show still trailing Good Morning America, a former executive at NBC has a solution for this long-running daily program:

Fire Matt Lauer.

“This problem is not going to go away until Matt Lauer does,” the anonymous insider tells The New York Daily News. “He’s great, but fairly or unfairly, his brand is damaged.”

This isn't the first time such an idea has been floated, with many viewers clamoring for Lestor Holt to replace the veteran anchor.

Alexandra Wallace, meanwhile, has come on board as the new producer at Today, taking over for Jim Bell, who was behind the Ann Curry firing.

But is Lauer really the problem? Do you think he should be fired?

Don't blame Matt Lauer. That's the message Jim Bell tried to send yesterday in an interview centered on the troubles at Today.

With ratings still in decline and with the Ann Curry firing debacle still hanging over the program, the executive producer attempted to shift blame away from his star.

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Matt Lauer may have signed an 11-figure deal to remain lead anchor on The Today Show earlier this summer, but it's been anything but smooth sailing for the reporter since.

Many blame Lauer for the Ann Curry mess. The program is now regular destroyed by Good Morning America in the ratings. Al Roker appears to be poking fun at his coworkers on a regular basis.

And, yesterday, Today chose to air an interview with Kris Jenner instead of observing a 9/11-based moment of silence.

Where is Lauer's head these days as a result of such developments?

He tells TMZ that there's no beef with Roker and, sure, there's pressure for the show to succeed. But no more than usual

"We feel the heat every day," Lauer says. "But we have for the last 20 years that I've been there. We're just trying to do the best show we can do every single day ... and I think we're doing a good job right now ... and I think the cycle will reverse."

Are you still watching The Today Show?

Fate - or Comcast, really - has given Matt Lauer a chance to redeem himself at The Today Show.

With parent company Comcast making various cuts at NBC, many associated with the program are now wondering whether the anchor will pull a Jay Leno, as The Tonight Show host recently slashed his salary by 10 percent in order to save employees at that program.

“Comcast has been looking at every one of its shows," an insider tells The New York Post. "The Today staff has been warned that cuts could be coming, and the question there is, if they start dumping people, will Matt Lauer take a cut?"

Ratings have been dwindling for Today, which now consistently loses to Good Morning America, and many blame Lauer for how he handled the Ann Curry firing. They even want him replaced by Lester Holt.

“It will be the little people who go first," said the source of who would be fired on Today. "The makeup people, writers... these people have families, and it will put pressure on Matt to do the right thing.”

And it will be interesting for impartial observers such as ourselves to see if he actually does.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Ann Curry may be gone, but problems at The Today Show remain.

With ratings continuing to decline and the program losing out to Good Morning America on a regular basis, blame is starting to make its way all around to the show's golden boy: Matt Lauer.

"Staffers and producers at the Today Show hold Matt Lauer responsible for the continued decline in the ratings because they hold him responsible for Ann Curry being fired," a source tells Radar. "The staff wants Ann to be brought back and want Matt replaced with [weekend anchor] Lester Holt, but they know the odds of this happening are slim to none."

That's for sure. Lauer just signed a mammoth contract to remain lead anchor. Still, it bears asking: Who would you prefer to see behind the main desk?

While we don't see another staff change happening any time soon, one must wonder how the program will respond if Al Roker and company continue to openly mock Lauer on the air.

It's suddenly getting more awkward on NBC morning than it will when Robert Pattinson walks Kristen Stewart down the Breaking Dawn red carpet.

What the heck is going on at The Today Show?

A couple days after Al Roker clearly took a shot at Matt Lauer for how he handled the firing of Ann Curry (despite NBC's denial), the beloved weatherman once again took it upon himself to make a few headlines during a segment.

This time, while Lauer and Savannah Guthrie slow-danced and then talked about the 35-year anniversary of Elvis Presley dying, Roker made a silly face and simply stared into the camera... and stared... and stared... and stared.

Perhaps producers think the program can top Good Morning America in the ratings game by challenging its viewers to a staring contest once per week. Watch the shenanigans unfold now:

Al Roker Staring Contest