30% Of People Miss This Today Show Anchor The Most

The "Today" show has seen plenty of co-anchors come and go over the years — along with headline-grabbing antics and, of course, controversy and scandals. 

As viewers remember, one of the biggest scandals was when Matt Lauer was let go from the show due to "inappropriate sexual behavior" — a significant moment in the #MeToo movement. But Lauer wasn't the only co-anchor to have made headlines for the wrong reasons: Katie Couric has gotten plenty of criticism for throwing a lot of her old colleagues under the bus in her book, "Going There." The person who was hurt the most by Couric's words was perhaps NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield, who worked at NBC the same time the "Today" co-anchor did. Banfield told the New York Post, "Her words have really hit me hard. She was my North Star. I always looked at her as one of the most brave presenters ... She was the best morning show host ever. I'm just gobsmacked."

With all of this controversy surrounding the "Today" show's past anchors, you might be surprised to know that 30% of people surveyed in Nicki Swift's latest poll still miss this "Today" show host the most.

Nicki Swift recently surveyed 607 people to find out which "Today" anchor they would most like to have back on the show — and 30% of respondents answered "Katie Couric." What's even more interesting is that Matt Lauer came in second place with a little over 20% of the votes; Jane Pauley was just a hair behind. Meredith Vieira came in next with 16% of votes, while only 12% would like to see Tamron Hall back on the show. 

Now, whether or not Couric would ever return to her old job remains to be seen, but she told fans that they shouldn't count on it anytime soon. As she revealed to Country Living in an interview, "I did that for 15 years, and I really loved every minute of it, but you also have to pass the baton." As far as Lauer is concerned, the "Today" show viewers shouldn't expect him to make a television comeback, considering the serious allegations against him. Per Newsday, he's been spending most of his time at home in the Hamptons.

Couric even told the "Today" show that she has no relationship with Lauer, explaining, "I realized there was a side of Matt I never really knew." In other words, everyone's chapter from the "Today" show has really become a thing of the past, or dare we say, much longer than yesterday.