NBC TODAY show personality Kathie Lee Gifford grew tired of the Matt Lauer bashing and decided to take out a full-page ad in a national publication to show her support for the beleaguered show host.
Lauer recently joked that he is less popular than polio, obviously referring to media reports that have painted him as the bad guy in the network decision to remove Ann Currey as his co-host after show ratings dipped below ‘GMA.’
Kathie Lee decided to collect signatures from her NBC colleagues in a show of solidarity. She got hundreds of her co-workers to sign the following proclamation:
Kathie Lee signed first, followed by Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Willie Geist, Natalie Morales and Hoda Kotb. One NBC employee who was not approached to sign was Ann Curry.
Gifford explained, “She’s just not part of the show day-in and day-out anymore. This wasn’t about Ann, this is about our love and support for a different member of our family.”
Regarding the planned full-page ad placement in USA Today … Matt Lauer nixed the idea and asked her to “keep it in the family.”
While KLG honored his request, that didn’t stop her from sharing the story with the NY Daily News.
Photo: Video Screen Grab