Former 'Today' host Brooke Shields opens up about 'crushing' experience of losing NBC anchor position
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The American actress and prominent model Brooke Shields recently revealed that her ‘Today’ host job was taken away from her at the last minute.
The 'Now What?' host spoke to 'Today' host Savannah Guthrie and shared insights into shocking revelations on her podcast.
The A-list actress divulged that she was supposed to get the 'Today' anchor job on the NBC show but it was taken away from her after working with Willie Geist for a few weeks.
Meanwhile, Guthrie chatted with Shields about their mutual love for Arizona, Guthrie’s 'slacker' days in high school, and how her father’s unexpected death propelled her career.
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Who is Brooke Shields?
Born on May 31, 1965, in New York City, Shields gained fame at a young age and won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Young Motion Picture Performer in 1981 for her role in 'The Blue Lagoon.'
She has been part of blockbuster movies like 'Endless Love,' TV shows such as 'Suddenly Susan,' and even appeared in 'The Muppets Take Manhattan.'
Shields is married to Chris Henchy, a television writer. The couple has two daughters and they tied the knot in 2001.
In 2022, she launched her podcast ‘Now What?’ which mainly focuses on how people respond to adversity.
‘It was kind of crushing’
At around the 30-minute mark of the podcast episode, Shields and Guthrie engaged in a conversation, discussing Shields' experiences during her time at NBC.
Guthrie said, “The Today Show is full of beautiful, brilliant, hilarious, top-of-the-game people. And it's so much more than anyone you see on TV.”
Shields then went on to explain how she was supposed to be hosting the show right after Guthrie’s praise about ‘Today’ show.
She said, “I don't know if you know this, but there was a moment [when] I was going to come in.”
Guthrie screamed in confusion, “On the Today Show?”
Shields explained, “Yeah, the Today Show!” She continued, “I was co-hosting with Willie Geist and we were doing the whole week. We had the best time, and people were like, 'Oh, this is gonna be great.”
Although Geist is currently the weekend anchor for ‘Today’, Shields couldn’t get her hands on the job.
She continued to explain, “And then, the people in charge called my agents. We sat down and they asked if I was interested. And I did all of the homework and I was ready and then all of a sudden, someone else got it. Someone else was put in that place.”
Guthrie comforted her by adding that she’d have made a great anchor. She said, “I didn't know all that, but you would have been great. We love Willie. I know he's a good friend of yours too.”
Shields claimed, “Yeah. We were right there. And then, all of a sudden they gave it to somebody else”. Continuing with the story she said, “And that ended up not working out. It was kind of crushing, but it was also-. For me, I call this show Now What? And for me that was a Now What? Moment.”
Shields added, “I thought, 'Ok, Brooke. Don't fight [to be] a personality.' And I've had many Now What? moments in my life and that was one of them.”