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Rumors are again swirling over Matt Lauer’s future with The TODAY Show, and it looks like he may be considering a new job. According to the New York Post, Lauer is currently at the top of the list for possible successors to Alex Trebek on Jeopardy.
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Trebek is reportedly expected to step down in 2016, when he is 76 years old.
“Lauer is widely reported to be on his way out at the morning show, which has tumbled to No. 2 in the ratings in the last year,” said Michael Shain with the Post. “He is being blamed for the show’s fall from grace after 16 years on top.”
The Post reported earlier this week on rumors that Lauer is not expected to renew his contract with TODAY when it expires in 2015. The host is currently making $25 million a year.
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Trebek has been hosting Jeopardy since 1984, and Sony has reportedly been looking for a new host when the legend plans to retire.
“Trebek — who suffered his second heart attack last summer — said in interviews last year that he was thinking about retiring this season,” said Shain. “But Sony convinced him to sign one final, three-year contract — taking him to age 76 — to give producers enough time to find a next-generation successor.”
Trebek’s shoes will be hard to fill, as he is generally considered the face of the brand. According to the source talking with the New York Post, Anderson Cooper is another name being discussed to replace Trebek.
A bonus for whoever ends up landing the job is that weeks of the game show can be taped in just one day. But according to Shain, the decision on the new host is “at least a year and a half away, and much can happen before then.”
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Until then, Lauer’s future remains a question mark.
