Tamron Hall says she was in disbelief when NBC ditched her for Megyn Kelly after 25-year career and reveals how her uneducated, sharecropper grampa and teen mom inspired her TV return
- Tamron Hall appeared on morning TV for the first time since exiting NBC and Today in early 2017
- Hall, 48, sat down with George Stephanopoulos to discuss her new baby boy and her syndicated talk show premiering this September
- She left NBC after learning that she would be losing her hosting spot on the third hour of Today to Megyn Kelly
- On the week she was demoted, Hall had been hosting the first three hours of Today, her MSNBC show and Nightly News
- 'I worked since I was 14. I'm from Texas and my grandfather, the first dad I knew, was a sharecropper with a second grade education,' explained Hall
- 'My mom was pregnant at 19. I was never the person that people would root for. I was the underdog. My story was supposed to already have been told,' she said
Viewers got a big surprise today on Good Morning America.
Tamron Hall made her first appearance on a TV morning show since she opted not to renew her contract with NBC back in February 2017 upon learning she would be losing her spot on Today when Megyn Kelly joined the network.
The new mom, 48, sat down with George Stephanopoulos, with the two spending the first half of the interview discussing Hall's nerves despite having spent 25 years in the air and her new baby boy Moses.
The conversation then shifted to Hall's exit from NBC.
Hall said she has spent the past two years trying to build her career back up in the wake of that incident, while the woman hired to replace her attracted less viewers and defended blackface, but still managed to walk away with $69 million for just 13 months of work.
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Today, a good morning: Tamron Hall appeared on morning TV (above) for the first time since exiting NBC and Today in early 2017
Back in action: Hall, 48, sat down with George Stephanopoulos (above) to discuss her new baby boy and her syndicated talk show premiering this September
Hall spoke about her last days at NBC when Stephanopoulos brought up her new show, which will premiere this September on ABC.
'The new show, this is my first time on live television in two-and-a-half years. And when I left my last job, there's a photo of me leaving walking across I think Fifth Avenue, and I look at that picture and I was just in a fog,' said Hall.
'I didn't know what was next. I had no idea. I had not started dating [now-husband] Steven [Greener] and not going through this journey to make [son] Moses and I knew I had to lose what was the most important thing.'
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She then spoke about how much work meant to her, and what the big part it played in her life
'I worked since I was 14. I'm from Texas and my grandfather, the first dad I knew, was a sharecropper with a second grade education,' explained Hall.
'My mom was pregnant with me at 19. I was never the person that people would root for. I was the underdog. My story was supposed to already have been told, and there I was, losing something that I had poured my entire life in.'
Hall added: 'My grandfather used to tell me, you can do anything and we didn't have paved streets but you can pave the way.'
She then laughed at the memory before turning somber as she said: 'And I ended up just losing it all - you feel like you've - you have answer the calls and go in and suddenly you're not the person they want and I had to look myself in the mirror and say, "but am I still Tamron". If there's no name beneath my card, if it doesn't say a show. And I decided I'm still Tamron.'
White walker: She left NBC after learning that she would be losing her hosting spot on the third hour of Today to Megyn Kelly (above)
On Wednesday, Hall also broke her silence on the subject of Megyn Kelly.
'I have no ill will towards Megyn [Kelly],' Hall told People.
She made this statement before she was inevitably asked about the woman who became host of the third hour of Today in a move that only served to tank the ratings Hall had built up with Al Roker
'They made her and offer she shouldn't refuse. And they made me an offer I could refuse.'
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Hall, who will launch a syndicated daytime show this September, said she was shocked at the offers that came her way after she left Today.
'I felt that some of the offers that were coming in were insulting after 25 years in the business,' said Hall.
She also recalled thinking to herself at one point: 'Wait a minute. I've been doing this a long time, and you're coming to me with these odd little things.'
Hall certainly had no lack of qualifications, proving her ability to host any type of broadcast during her time at NBC.
'The last week I was on Today I filled in for Savannah Guthrie, who's gone on maternity leave. I filled in for Lester Holt [on NBC Nightly News] all while I was doing my MSNBC show plus shooting Deadline Crime,' said Hall.
'So I'm putting in all the work and then I'm told, "It doesn't matter that you came in every time we called. We want something else."'
Hall then added: 'I wasn't that "something else."'
Bliss: 'I worked since I was 14. I'm from Texas and my grandfather, the first dad I knew, was a sharecropper with a second grade education,' explained Hall (above with husband Steven)
Hall and Al Roker were comfortably in first place and delivering solid ratings for Today when the decision was made to move them out and Megyn Kelly in as host of the third hour.
That move came just as Hall's contract was up, and she ultimately decided not to resign with NBC News and instead walked out.
Hall and her baby boy Moses just after his birth
It was a shocking departure for the woman who had long been one of the hardest working personalities on the network.
Roker anchored the third hour with Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dryer in the wake of Hall's departure, which also proved to be a winning combination.
Unlike Hall, however, the meteorologist already had a steady gig on Today when Roker learned the news about Kelly's arrival, appearing on the program's first two hours.
The third hour had topped its timeslot for seven straight weeks when the news was delivered to Hall and Roker that Kelly would be taking over for them, and making a whole lot more money.
DailyMail.com revealed soon after that Kelly had signed to a three-year contract valued at $69 million, close to 20 times what her predecessor Hall was paid and double the combined salary of Hall and Roker.
This sizable investment resulted in a show with record low numbers for the network and a host who eventually got the boot following her defense of black face.
Since Hall left the Today show in 2017, she has been in talks with Disney-ABC to produce her own syndicated daytime talk show, which she will host.
It was announced in March by Disney that the show will officially debut in September of this year after months of developing.
The addition of her son and recent wedding will keep the new mom busy as she prepares to film the first season of her new show.
