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Natalie Morales left to save ‘The Talk’ after Sharon Osbourne’s disastrous exit from the show, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The West Coast Today Show host and NBC’s Dateline correspondent announced on Friday that she would be stepping down from NBC News after a 22-year career.
Morales, 49, said she will pursue a new opportunity as she steps down from the Today show and finishes her work on Dateline in the coming weeks.
She will continue to appear in Dateline’s 30th season throughout the year.
DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal that Morales is heading to The Talk.
“We have to save the show after Sharon Osbourne’s disastrous exit,” a source told DailyMail.com.
“Natalie is a beloved news star and her gravity can help us overthrow The Talk.
“With Natalie joining Jerry, we think we have a chance to float and fix a sinking ship.”
NBC declined to comment. DailyMail.com has contacted CBS for comment.
Natalie Morales announced she will be leaving NBC after 22 years
Morales will replace Sharon Osbourne on The Talk after the co-host resigned earlier this year amid controversy over alleged racism
Morales, center, pictured with her family Today Show, hosted the show on the West Coast
Morales interviewed a plethora of guests during his run, including Jay Leno, pictured in 2019
Morales said in a statement Friday: “To my Dateline and Today families it is very difficult to say goodbye… and we all know in this area it’s never goodbye but see you later. I am eternally grateful for the support and the deep friendships that will remain no matter where our paths lead, ”Morales said in a statement.
“I have a hard time finding the right words and there are too many people I have to thank for a wonderful career at NBC News.”
Morales will move on to The Talk to replace Osbourne who was ousted from the show earlier this year after a racist argument with his co-host Sheryl Underwood.
Osbourne has claimed the incident was orchestrated to pass her off as a racist for defending her longtime friend Pierce Morgan, who was himself called a racist for criticizing Duchess Meghan Markle.
Osbourne lost her job on The Talk and was effectively ‘canceled’ by social media, resulting in a series of death threats against her and her family.
She told DailyMail.com that she was forced to hire a 24-hour security service and endured months of ketamine treatment to cope with the trauma.
Telling her side: Sharon Osbourne sat down exclusively with DailyMailTV for her first in-depth interview since her shock release from The Talk this year amid controversy over alleged racist comments
Morales began working for NBC at its affiliate station WVIT in Hartford, Connecticut, before becoming a presenter and correspondent for MSNBC from 2002 to 2006.
Early in his career, Morales covered the 2000 presidential election, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 Northeast Blackout.
Morales joined the Today show in 2006 as a national correspondent before being named co-host in 2008. She eventually replaced Ann Curry as official Today presenter in 2011.
In 2016, Morales moved to the West Coast to host Access and became the Today Show West Anchor.
Although she stepped down from Access hosting in 2019, Morales remained the West Coast host and in 2020 it was announced that she would join Dateline as an official correspondent.
Morales joined friends and colleges Lester Holt, Andrea Canning, Dennis Murphy, Josh Mankiewicz and Keith Morrison on Dateline.
Morales, left, and Today Show colleague Jenna Bush Hager interviewed Chef John Fraser in 2019 during one of today’s many segments.
Morales, pictured with Al Roker, left, and Craig Melvin, ran Today West Coast for five years
While she was one of NBC’s biggest names, Morales covered the 2011 royal wedding between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the 2012 Boston Marathon bombing and the Las Vegas massacre. in 2017.
Morales, who is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, also translated the 2010 Chilean miner rescue to Americans glued to their TVs, which helped NBC win the 2010 National Headliner Award.
Morales herself has won three Daytime Emmy Awards as part of Team Today, as well as a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and three Gracie Awards for Outstanding Reporting.
Morales said: “This first half of my life has been full of adventures, challenges, journeys, far too many early awakenings and yes opportunities to witness the story and tell inspiring and hard-hitting stories that will be. always in my mind. highlight the coil.
‘Speaking of that reel: I’ve watched my family grow up with so many of your own children, and as my oldest son prepares to spread his wings and head to college soon, I also think the time is right. come (before the second half of my life) to spread my own wings and pursue a new adventure. ‘
“I am eternally grateful for the support and the deep friendships that will remain, no matter where our paths lead. I have so much to be grateful for for and for each of you who have helped me get here… muchísimas gracias mis amigos. ‘
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