“I understood that that did not define me,” Tamron Hall reflects on leaving the Today Show and choosing herself despite a $2 million offer.
In 2017, Tamron Hall made the bold decision to walk away from her seat on the coveted “Today Show.” Though she launched her own successful talk show years later, Hall’s decision to walk was a pivotal moment in her career. In a recent conversation with Scott Evans, the journalist opened up about what happened behind the scenes.
“I was walking over to MSNBC, and a text message came from my then agent,” she recalled. “And then he said they are making a big change, and you’re no longer in. Here’s what they’re offering. And he proceeded to bullet-point in a text all these things that they were offering to keep me.”
She continued: “I almost, like, blacking out because your whole life is flashing before you. I remember I texted my mom, and I said, ’It’s done.’ And I wrote my agent back and said, ‘I’ll pass.’ It was $2 million a year [deal]. “
As Evans voiced his bewilderment at her decision to pass, Hall shared the intention behind her decision to decline the offer.
“Because all money ain’t good money,” she stated.
“The kind of faith and self-assuredness you have to have,” the “House Guest” creator interjected.
At the time, fans felt blindsided by Hall’s decision to leave the morning show. And as previously reported by theGrio, the talk show host felt equally blind sided by the decision to replace her with Megyn Kelly. An unnamed source close to Hall at the time reported that the news came just days after executives congratulated the team for the show’s high rankings.
“She wasn’t going to settle for sitting on the sidelines,” the source said. “She basically said thank you, but no thank you.”
Hall, who has worked in the industry for years, remembers her mother being particularly proud of her decision to leave the show.
“My mother was always proud, but she said to me, ‘I am so proud of you, because do you know how many times we’ve had to get off the sidewalk for someone else to walk?’” Hall recalled. “I thought about all the other young Black women in journalism, and I said, if they see me lose, they may think they can’t win. And that day is why I turned it down. And I’m not trying to sound like I was a sacrifice or anything.”
“No, but you understood your position on one of the top morning shows in the world,” Evans added before Hall concluded: “And I understood that that did not define me.”
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