Al Roker comments on Tamron Hall’s ‘Today Show’ departure

Yesterday, the surprising news was first announced that Tamron Hall would be leaving “Today” and NBC News, and this came a mere matter of days after it was first reported that Megyn Kelly would be hosting a show on the network starting in the fall. Obviously, someone had to leave in order for that to happen, but there were not many people out there who were interested in having it be Tamron who ended up saying goodbye.

Following the reports of her exit, Hall released a statement yesterday where she had the following to say about her departure:

“The last ten years have been beyond anything I could have imagined, and I’m grateful. I’m also very excited about the next chapter.”

Meanwhile, Al Roker (who hosted the 9:00 a.m. Eastern hour with her for many years) made a brief statement of his own on Thursday morning’s edition of the show, one where he wished her the best for everything that she is going to be doing next. We certainly believe that there will be some other offers and opportunities that come her way, and given the metrics surrounding her announcement, leaving may have felt like her only choice. Her ratings were very good in the timeslot, and yet NBC still wanted to make a change for someone who is an enormous risk outside of Fox News. We understand the desire to want to try and get even bigger ratings and a larger platform, but this is still a risk that may not pay off given that so many of Kelly’s own viewers grew dissatisfied with her at the end of her run. (Granted, she still didn’t deserve the misogynistic comments and venom that were thrown her way for much of her final weeks on the air.)

Roker is going to stay on board “Today” as the weatherman, and of course will probably also continue to be a jack-of-all-trades for the network overall. He’s a guy who can do a wide array of different things for them, and he never seems afraid to step into a role.

Are you still surprised over Tamron’s exit from the show? Be sure to share some of your thoughts with a comment! (Photo: NBC.)