Celebrity News

‘Today’ exec Jim Bell leaves show despite NBC denials

NBC repeatedly denied to Page Six earlier this fall that “Today” executive producer Jim Bell was leaving the morning program for another role at the network. But, lo and behold, it was announced this week he’s leaving to executive-produce NBC’s Olympics coverage. We reported in September that Bell was making the media rounds to trumpet his “Today” role as “the best job in the world” and alleviate blame on co-host Matt Lauer for Ann Curry’s ouster and ratings drop. At the same time, sources told us Bell could be gone in weeks. Bell told us then: “This is exactly the kind of false story that led me to do these interviews in the first place.” NBC News senior executive Alexandra Wallace will oversee “Today” as the first woman ever in charge of the show. A search is on for an additional producer to manage day-to-day responsibilities.