The hosts of The Today Show were left reflecting on their futures with the NBC program during Friday’s episode. The conversation arose due to the recent announcement that CBS would be cancelling The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert.
Craig Melvin, Carson Daly, Dylan Dreyer, and Laura Jarrett were joined in Studio 1A by NBC's entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas to discuss the shock news. The panel reflected on the potential impact of Stephen's show being axed and what it might mean for his career moving forward.
"As for Colbert's next move, I mean other hosts have found success beyond Late Night," said Chloe. "Let's take a look at David Letterman, who had his own show on Netflix, Conan O'Brien with a travel series on HBO Max, so stay tuned what the next chapter will be for Colbert. But, this guy always lands on his feet."
Craig then gushed over the renowned talk show host. "A guy who is as talented as Stephen Colbert will be just fine," he replied.
Chloe also pointed out how the axing will not only affect Stephen, but also the "200-person staff".
Carson went on to consider the bigger picture, wondering what ultimately led to the network’s decision. "Chloe, do you think this is a sign of the decline of the Late Night franchise across the borders, or does it seem like a one off that might be related to the merger?" he asked.
"I think that this could be related to the merger, but at the end of the day ratings for Late Night are on the decline," responded Chloe. "So I think that Late Night hosts should be a little concerned because these shows are really expensive to make and I want to point out that Stephen is such a good guy, I interned for him."
She continued: "But I know people who worked at the Colbert Report Comedy Central. A lot of that staff followed him devotedly over to this opportunity now. So, luckily they have a year to look for new jobs, but still if they wanted to cut costs there were other ways CBS could have done this. Cutting a night out of the lineup for Colbert, maybe reducing the staff size. But clearly not cancelling the show but the entire franchise."
The future of The Today Show
However, the news appeared to send a wave of concern through The Today Show, as Carson raised questions about his own future – and that of his fellow anchors – on NBC.
"Should morning show hosts be concerned about…?" he asked.
The news anchor was quickly interrupted by his co-stars, Laura and Craig, who awkwardly laughed in response. "Ok," they said in unison. The pair refused to engage in Carson's question, with Laura glancing over at him in shock.
"We should make it day after day," Chloe replied.
"Thank you so much Chloe, moving on," said Laura.
In an attempt to change the conversation, Craig handed the reins over to Dylan. "Dylan Dreyer, what's the weather looking like?" he asked.
However, clearly amused by the awkwardness, Dylan made a quick comment. "Carson you'll always land on your feet," she said.
"I'm asking for a friend," replied the news anchor.
"Think you're just fine Carson," added Dylan.