Of the Maddow deal and Savanna Guthrie, insiders say ‘These two are already distant.’ Sorry, but Savannah who? -editor. (Read original story by Radar here.)
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Showdown at NBC!
After the network was able to secure political talk legend Rachel Maddow for a few more years after tense contract negotiations, her new $30 million dollar deal is reportedly rubbing her colleagues the wrong way.
The 48-year-old MSNBC host’s deal is $5 million more than fired Today host Matt Lauer was earning during his heyday, leaving other NBC talent feeling the burn.
“There is no way a cable network can pay Rachel this amount of money. She is earning more than Savannah Guthrie and Hoda [Kotb] pick up on NBC, which is making both of The Today Show hosts very uncomfortable,” a source squealed to Radar.
Maddow’s new package through 2024 comes with a great deal of power. She has always been the boss of MSNBC but now she might be taking over NBC, too.
“Part of Rachel’s deal is producing more shows and appearing more on NBC. It is NBC that has the real money, clearly, for the amount of money she is making, there will be much more cross-over,” an insider spilled.
Today’s co-anchor Guthrie — who joined NBC News in 2007 — is reportedly the most threatened by the new deal.
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“Savannah started her career as the White House correspondent and still thinks of herself as a political reporter. She has deep sources in DC and being best friends with George W Bush’s daughter, Jenna, is no coincidence,” the source continued. “Savannah isn’t going to hand over the political beat to Rachel without a fight. These two are already distant. It’s only going to get worse now that Rachel makes more money.”
After a long back and forth, NBCUniversal ponied up a massive amount to ensure the liberal-leaning talk show host didn’t jump ship. She will take home $30 million per year to stick with the company through the 2024 election, the Daily Beast reported.
As part of the massive deal, Maddow will end her long-running nightly show — which is the highest rated on the cable channel — next year and will transition to hosting a weekly program. She will also reportedly host a series of specials for MSNBC and NBC News.
