9 Real-Life Controversies ‘The Morning Show’ Could Cover (VIDEOS)
Does the trailer for the Apple+ drama The Morning Show feel like déjà vu? In the clip, Jennifer Aniston’s character anchors the fictitious morning show alone, telling viewers that her cohost, played by Steve Carell, was terminated for “allegations” that aren’t detailed in the trailer. Still, it all reeks of Matt Lauer’s November 2017 firing over alleged sexual misconduct, right?
In case the writers of the upcoming series want to rip any other plotlines from the headlines, they have plenty of morning TV controversies from which to choose. Scroll through the gallery above to relive nine of ‘em.
Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s yelling match
The View was rocked in May 2007 when cohosts Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck got into a nasty argument about the Iraq War. “The day it happened, I was definitely crying,” O’Donnell later told Variety. “I got my stuff and walked out.” She then called her manager, saying, “I’m never going back. You have to call and tell them. Call the lawyer. No matter what they say, I will not go back.”
Ann Curry’s exit
Ann Curry was controversially fired from Today in June 2012 after serving as co-host for just a year—and she tearfully announced her departure on air. “Ann Curry was a dead woman walking,” reporter Brian Stelter wrote in Top of the Morning. “She was never really given a chance to co-host the show. She was being undermined the whole time.”
Sharon Osbourne’s smack talk
The Talk co-host Sharon Osbourne arguably made a professional rivalry personal in November 2013 when she told Arsenio Hall that the all the hosts of The View except for Barbara Walters could “go f**k themselves.” She later apologized, calling herself “a loose cannon.”
Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan’s breakup
Ripa was blindsided by ABC’s April 2016 decision to make Live! With Kelly and Michael into just Live! With Kelly and to move Strahan to Good Morning America. “When you’re dealing with big business, it’s easy to forget that you’re dealing with people and that people have feelings,” she later told People.
Billy Bush’s conversation with Donald Trump
Billy Bush was fired from his Today post in October 2016 following the release of a 2005 audio recording in which he is heard laughing and joking as Donald Trump made offensive comments about women.
Tamron Hall’s exit
Tamron Hall recently opened up about her contentious January 2017 exit from Today—which followed NBC’s decision to give the third hour of the morning show to Megyn Kelly. “I already knew they made the wrong choice when I [walked out] the door,” she told reporters.
Steve Harvey’s memo
In May 2017, a leaked Steve Harvey memo to the staff of his daytime talk show revealed how stringent the host was about his privacy. “There will be no meetings in my dressing room. No stopping by or popping in. NO ONE,” he wrote. “IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED.”
Megyn Kelly’s blackface comments
NBC canceled Megyn Kelly Today in October 2018 after Kelly wondered on-air why wearing blackface is racist. “Back when I was a kid, that was OK as long as you were dressing up as, like, a character,” she said on the show.
Lara Spencer’s Prince George comments
Good Morning America co-host Lara Spencer apologized to viewers in August 2019 after mocking Prince George’s interest in ballet, her comments spurring the hashtag #boysdancetoo.
