NBC Reportedly Dropping Matt Lauer ‘Allies’ from ‘Today’

It’s been over a month now since NBC dropped Matt Lauer from the Today show. And now a new report says the network is quietly getting rid of Lauer’s backstage allies as well.

On Tuesday NBC announced that executive producer Don Nash had “decided to step away from his executive producer role at ‘Today.’”

“With this change in anchors, and having rethought some of his priorities, Don Nash has decided to step away from his Executive Producer role at TODAY,” NBC News chairman Andy Lack wrote in a memo on Wednesday.

But an anonymous source told Page Six that Nash’s departure was for a different reason

“Don is one of the nicest guys in the business, but he was part of ‘Matt’s club’ headed by [former ‘Today’ EP] Jim Bell,” the insider told Page Six. “They deny covering up for Matt, but they certainly catered to him, and they are very much entrenched in Lauer’s legacy.”

Nash has previous denied any knowledge of Lauer’s sexual misconduct, despite multiple women coming forward with accusations.

“Never once has any woman or man complained to me about Matt Lauer,” Nash told Page Six. “If they had, I would have gone straight to HR.”

The source also says that chef Giada de Laurentiis, who has made multiple appearances while Lauer was on Today, will reportedly soon be wiped from the schedule.

“Matt always had the final say on show experts, but now they want new blood,” the source said. “They want more diversity.”

Since Lauer’s departure, the show’s hosting duties have been handed over to Hoda Kotb, who has been helping Today beat Good Morning America in the morning news show ratings. Senior producer Libby Leist will be stepping in to replace Nash, making her the show’s first female executive producer.

Sevearl of Lauer’s former colleagues have commented on his departure, including Katie Couric and Ann Curry.

“I can tell you that I am not surprised by the allegations,” Curry said in her first public interview since 2015 on CBS This Morning on Wednesday.