Matt Lauer Fired? 'Today Show' Host Could be Out by February if Ratings Continue to Decline - Report

Radar Online is reporting that Matt Lauer will be fired from the TODAY Show as soon as February if the morning show's ratings do not improve.

"News executive Alexandra Wallace has told NBC bosses she will have to replace Matt if the ratings continue to tank," a show insider tells RadarOnline.com. "The TODAYshow has always been considered a cash cow for the network. It dominated the morning news ratings for years and brought in millions of dollars in ad revenue. But, if viewers continue preferring Good Morning America over the TODAY show that revenue will decrease and cuts will have to be made."

Lauer reportedly gets paid $25 million annually and the source said Willie Geist is expected to replace Lauer.

"He has been wildly popular with viewers and the crew since he was named co-host of the third hour of the show," Radar Online reported.

Eric Deggans, media critic for the Tampa Bay Times, said "city block-sized aircraft carriers have made smoother turns than NBC's Today show."

Deggans said one of the problems with the show is that the Olympics didn't save ratings.

"That tactic didn't work for long this year, and now that GMA has momentum, NBC needs more than stunts such as the long-gone 'Where in the World is Matt Lauer?' bit to bring back fans," Deggans wrote.

The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz said despite the backlash, Lauer isn't going anywhere.

"If Lauer got the credit for the decade and a half on top, obviously he has to shoulder some of the blame for the decline," Kurtz wrote. "Today has always promoted itself as a family, which made the shabby treatment of Curry all the more off-putting to viewers. Savannah Guthrie is a smart and talented replacement, but it's awfully hard to step into that kind of volatile situation."