There are more changes in store for NBC’s Today show, which recently promoted Hoda Kotb to serve as Savannah Guthrie’s early-morning co-anchor. Now, veteran executive producer Don Nash is stepping down from his position.
Nash has served as executive producer since 2012 and is a 23-year veteran of the network. He previously served as senior broadcast producer.
Senior producer Libby Leist will serve as Nash’s replacement, NBC News chairman Andy Lack said in a memo shared with The Hollywood Reporter.
His departure comes in the wake of Kotb’s ascendance and the abrupt and shocking termination of her predecessor, Matt Lauer, for sexual misconduct. The show has seen a boost in the ratings with Guthrie and Kotb in the anchor chairs, and has regularly beat ABC’s Good Morning America.
“With this change in anchors, and having rethought some of his priorities, Don Nash has decided to step away from his Executive Producer role at TODAY,” Lack wrote.
As for Nash’s future with the company, Lack wrote: “We’ve offered him a number of roles within NBC News and NBCUniversal, and we hope he’ll stay in the family.”
In his own memo, Nash said he is leaving the show in an effort to prioritize his family. “For many years, I have had two families: the one at home, and everyone at TODAY,” he wrote. “The balance of my love for both of them has been out of whack for too long. The time has come for me to step away from TODAY and be a better dad to my two beautiful girls. They are what matter to me most.”
Lack said that the new anchoring duo of Guthrie and Kotb has hit the ground running. “The TODAY show couldn’t be in a stronger position,” he said.
“TODAY is number one again, because of all of you,” Nash said. “I hope you take a moment to bask in the glory of what you have created and accomplished. You should be so proud.”
