Al Roker said what everyone was thinking following Ryan Lochte’s robbery lie and the ensuing scandal during the Olympics last week.
During a TODAY Show broadcast, Roker told co-anchors Natalie Morales and Billy Bush the real about Lochte’s lie and the privilege that surrounds it.
“He lied to you, he lied to Matt Lauer, he lied to his mom, he left his teammates hanging while he skedaddled. There was no robbery, there was no pull over. He lied.”
But Roker may be in hot water. According to sources at Page Six, NBC is none too thrilled about Roker’s statement. Executives are pissed because Roker has left them in an awkward position with the US Olympic Committee and now they’re rushing to smooth everything over.
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“There were several producers and talent who were left trying to explain Al’s over-the-top behavior. Several insiders found themselves wanting to distance themselves from his response,” and insider said.
While fans believe that Roker was right and justified in addressing the scandal honestly, NBC saw Roker’s response as an unwarranted outburst.
“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.”
However, one NBC executive assured Page Six that things were absolutely fine.
“No one feels this way. In fact, everyone here is happy — specifically with the ‘Today’ show’s great ratings.”