‘Today Show’: Will Maria Shriver join Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie full-time?

If you have watched some of the coverage from “The Today Show” this past week, then you likely noticed a very famous face serving as a part of the segments from the Vatican: Maria Shriver. The journalist / estranged wife of Arnold Schwarzenegger has stood alongside Matt Lauer for some overseas reports this week, and she received some pretty positive reviews (including from us) for a segment that she did on Monday.

So does this mean that the former major player is going to be a permanent fixture at the network soon? Don’t count on it. As a matter of fact, TMZ reports that despite interest from NBC and other networks to come on full-time, Maria does not seem to be altogether interested in getting into the game full-time. Why? The answer is rather simple: she just doesn’t need to. She already has more money than you can count courtesy of her countless other ventures, and she wants to also spend time working with her charities and being a mother.

One thing that we will likely see more of, though, is her occasionally stopping by for segments. It may just be a test for now, but we would not be stunned to see Shriver stop by for occasional spots like Ryan Seacrest has done over the past year. It gives her a little time in the spotlight to help promote some of her efforts, and it’s pretty clear why NBC would want her: she’s highly respected and it is a PR boost for a show that has wallowed in negativity since Ann Curry was more or less forced out.

What do you think: would you want to see more of Maria on “Today”? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and you can also read a little bit more news about the show and Lauer over at the link here.

Photo: NBC