“Today” show insiders were “embarrassed” by Al Roker’s explosive response to the Ryan Lochte scandal.
The lovable weatherman flipped his lid during an on-air conversation with Billy Bush about the swimmer’s shape-shifting story about being the victim of an armed robbery during the Rio Olympic Games, angrily saying, “He lied. He lied to you, he lied to Matt Lauer, he lied to his mom, [and] he left his teammates hanging while he skedaddled.’’
But insiders told us “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.”
“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.”
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.”