*Obviously we’re not connected with the “Today” show, but we find it hard to believe that supposedly insiders were “embarrassed” by Al Roker’s response to the Ryan Lochte scandal.
If you didn’t see it, Roker got very, shall we say, “expressive” during an on-air conversation with Billy Bush about Lochte’s lying about being the victim of an armed robbery during the Rio Olympic Games. An animated and irritated Roker repeatedly told Bush, “He lied. He lied to you. He added: “He lied to Matt Lauer, he lied to his mom, [and] he left his teammates hanging while he skedaddled.’’
Page Six says insiders are saying “Today” executives and on-air talent — already struggling to cover the story while managing relationships with the US Olympic Committee and individual athletes — tried to smooth things over.
“There were several producers and talent who were left trying to explain Al’s over-the-top behavior,” said a source. “Several insiders found themselves wanting to distance themselves from his response.”
READ RELATED STORY: AL ROKER EXPOSES BILLY BUSH’S WHITE PRIVILEGE DEFENSE OF RYAN LOCHTE: ‘HE LIED!’ (WATCH)
“It was a great thing to watch online, but a lot of NBC staff thought that he took it way too far for something that, while it was certainly a legitimate issue and certainly bad behavior by Lochte, outrage to that level just wasn’t justified.”
Meanwhile, an NBC exec said: “This is not true. No one feels this way. In fact, everyone here is happy — specifically with the ‘Today’ show’s great ratings.”
We agree. We find it hard to see why what Roker said would cause any issues especially when all he was doing was telling the TRUTH. The same truth that the rest of the world saw.
Watch Al Roker go in on Billy Bush:
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