David Gregory who was booted as the host of Meet the Press Thursday will not be allowed to say goodbye to viewers on the air this week because network brass fear he might cause another Ann Curry moment sources tell Confidenti l.
A decent guy is getting f ed a high ranking NBC News insider said.
There s no reason for it for them to allow him to be disparaged and brutalized in the media is reprehensible. It s disgusting and uncalled for the source said.
They know how bad they ve f ed him over and they re scared to death that he will cause an Ann Curry situation so they re not letting him go on the air. It s ridiculous.
An NBC News spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment that specifically asked if the network feared Gregory would mirror Curry s weepy goodbye from Today in 2012.
Chuck Todd NBC News political director has been given the coveted hosting job. He ll retain his title as the network s political boss but will give up his roles as chief White House correspondent and as anchor of MSNBC s The Daily Rundown.
While Todd s star has steadily risen dozens of horrible media reports have dogged Gregory as Meet the Press lagged behind its more popular rivals CBS Face the Nation and ABC s This Week.
A turning point seemed to come in April when the Washington Post revealed that NBC had ordered psychological research on Gregory in an attempt to discover why he was well liked by friends but not by his audience.
The change in hosts likely will end a long period of speculation about the future of Gregory who has presided over a precipitous 43% ratings drop at Meet the Press since he took over after the 2008 death of longtime host Tim Russert.
Gregory confirmed his exit from the network with a pair of tweets Thursday afternoon and soon after the network also confirmed the move in a staff memo from NBC News chief Deborah Turness.
I leave NBC as I came humbled and grateful. I love journalism and serving as moderator of MTP was the highest honor there is he wrote.
I have great respect for my colleagues at NBC News and wish them all well. To the viewers I say thank you.
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