Veteran anchor Tamron Hall is leaving NBC News, the company announced Wednesday.
Hall decided to depart the program instead of taking a new role at “Today” as part of a new multiyear contract. She recently learned she would be losing her co-anchor slot on the 9 a.m. hour of “Today.” The morning program is being cut by an hour to make room for a new daytime talk show with Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News anchor who signed with NBC News.
Hall, 46, made history on “Today” when in 2014 she became the first African American woman to serve as a co-anchor in the program’s 65-year history. In addition to being seen daily in the 9 a.m. hour, she was a frequent fill-in for main co-anchors Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie.
Hall’s exit — and the plan to give her hour to a former anchor for the politically right-leaning Fox News — has drawn criticism from the National Assn. of Black Journalists.
“The National Association of Black Journalists is saddened by Tamron Hall’s departure from NBC," the organization said in a statement. “She broke ground as the first black female ‘Today Show’ co-host and was enjoying ratings success alongside Al Roker during the show’s third hour of programming. NBC has been a leader for diversity in broadcasting, but recent reports that Hall and Roker will be replaced by former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly are being seen by industry professionals as whitewashing.”
In 2016, the organization gave “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt — the first African American to be the solo anchor of a network evening newscast — its journalist of the year award.
According to people familiar with the discussions with Hall who were not authorized to comment publicly, NBC offered her a significant financial incentive to stay with the network.
Hall first joined NBC News in 2007 after local news stints in Chicago and Dallas. She was also seen daily as a daytime news anchor on cable network MSNBC.
“The last ten years have been beyond anything I could have imagined, and I’m grateful,” Hall said in a statement provided by NBC News. “I’m also very excited about the next chapter. To all my great colleagues, I will miss you and I will be rooting for you.”
Roker, the weather anchor for “Today,” will continue to co-anchor the 9 a.m. hour until the program is replaced in the fall, an NBC News representative said. If Kelly’s new program airs at 10 a.m., the “Today” co-hosts in that hour, Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, will move to 9 a.m.
No decision has been made on the replacement for Hall on MSNBC.
The young women in "Step" demonstrate a routine at the L.A. Times photo studio during the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary is about senior girls in a Baltimore high school step team as they prepare to be the first in their families to attend college.
The young women in “Step” demonstrate a routine at the L.A. Times photo studio during the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary is about senior girls in a Baltimore high school step team as they prepare to be the first in their families to attend college.
The young women in "Step" demonstrate a routine at the L.A. Times photo studio during the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary is about senior girls in a Baltimore high school step team as they prepare to be the first in their families to attend college.
The young women in “Step” demonstrate a routine at the L.A. Times photo studio during the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary is about senior girls in a Baltimore high school step team as they prepare to be the first in their families to attend college.
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SAG Awards statuettes are cast from molten bronze metal at American Fine Arts Foundry in Burbank. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
SAG Awards statuettes are cast from molten bronze metal at American Fine Arts Foundry in Burbank. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
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Kristen Stewart enjoyed the free-form aspect of making her short film, “Come Swim” which is showing at the Sundance Film Festival. She doesn’t see that as a directorial stepping-stone to full-length features.
Kristen Bell and director Liz W. Garcia discuss the film "Lifeguard" at Sundance.
Kristen Bell and director Liz W. Garcia discuss the film “Lifeguard” at Sundance.
stephen.battaglio@latimes.com
Twitter: @SteveBattaglio
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UPDATES:
6:40 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the National Assn. of Black Journalists.
This article was originally published at 1:50 p.m.
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