Who Will Fill Matt Lauer’s Seat At ‘Today’? Our Best Guesses (And Dream Hosts!)

Mr. Bravo himself is already in the NBCU family and could easily slide into the seat. He’s been getting some of the juiciest tidbits you could ever imagine out of his guests on Watch What Happens Live and Real Housewives reunions, and he damn sure wouldn’t back down from any guest strolling through the morning show studio. He’s got the charisma, the experience, and the energy to pull this off, and his entertainment background shouldn’t be dismissed so easily in the name of news. Don’t be surprised if you hear his name floating around as a solid replacement. Andy, you might want to get used to setting that alarm for early  mornings.

Where to watch Watch What Happens Live

Um, did you see her filling in for Jimmy Kimmel? She’d be fantastic! Ok, admittedly this one is more of a dream as she’s got that whole acting career going on that seems to be working out pretty well for her. But NBC, just so you know, you’d have our eyeballs every single morning if you were able to make this happen. She’s got strong views on the Kardashians and Real Housewives, and something tells us she wouldn’t hold back her opinions on general news events either.

Where to watch Jennifer Lawrence host Jimmy Kimmel Live

Any time a network needs a white man to host something, they call Ryan Seacrest or Chris Hardwick. Seacrest is currently tied up on another morning show with Kelly Ripa, but Hardwick? It wouldn’t be a shock if the Talking Dead host was considered. The interviews he’s conducting on the Nerdist podcast might not be hard-hitting enough for NBC News, but he does have the chops. Working in his favor the most though is his generally pleasant and happy disposition, which could serve as the TV version of that first sip of coffee in the morning. Plus, he’s already in the NBC family with his hosting gig on The Wall.

Where to watch Talking Dead

These two women left (aka were booted) from the Today show under less than ideal circumstances. Tamron left once Megyn Kelly moved into her 9am timeslot, but we’re not sure NBC appreciated what a force she was. Hall was professional every day, but knew when to be playful and have fun on camera. Most of all, she put up with Al Roker’s terribly cheesy jokes, and for that she deserved a promotion. This is a wrong they can right in one swoop.

Same goes for Ann Curry. She was a talented and efficient anchor, but her departure from the morning show boiled down to Lauer. You can call it a lack of chemistry, but we now know that probably means she wasn’t putting up with his BS. Bring her back!

The political host is enjoying her perch at MSNBC where she’s able to do well-researched, longform political news commentary. Would she want to move to mornings and adopt a quicker, fluffier style of news reporting? Perhaps not. Is she qualified? Oh, hell yes. Her frequent late night talk show appearances prove she’s a total force, remaining entertaining while packing our brains full of necessary info. And, just saying, but a double dose of girl power in the mornings just might be the right move now. NBC execs are surely throwing her name around in meetings right now. At the very least, it’s a safe bet that we see her fill in at some point.

Where to watch The Rachel Maddow Show

Ok, visually, how fun would this be? We know the athlete can talk sports, but does he know politics and pop culture too? Let’s find out! Anchoring the morning show would still leave him time in the afternoons to keep up with his robust career starring in a variety of commercials, too. Not only would his height difference make this something fun to look at, you know this guy’s got a different perspective on world events (and one that he’s not afraid to speak) than any other Today host, that’s for sure.

We know Mindy loves watching the Today show, but we would love to watch her ON it. Now that The Mindy Project is over, she’s producing the new show Champions (which will be airing on NBC!). But that could totally be a side gig for her. We’d love to see her slide into the host seat and bring those hilarious and effusive tweets she’s famous for to our morning routines. She’s smart and funny and enjoys the hot male actor guests just as much as we do. Exsqueeze me NBC, but this would be a smart move.

Where to watch The Mindy Project