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Hosts of the Today Show Craig Melvin, Carson Daly, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker© Getty Images

Today Show stars see major NBC shake-up as CEO Jeff Shell departs following 'inappropriate workplace relationship'

NBCUniversal, which houses the Today Show and NBC News, is owned by Comcast

Beatriz Colon
Beatriz Colon - New York
New York WriterNew York
April 24, 2023
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Today Show stars and crew – plus the roughly 35,000 people that NBC employs – are seeing quite the shake-up and the long-running company.

Over the weekend, NBCUNiversal's CEO, Jeff Shell, stepped down from the lead role he has held since 2020. NBCUniversal, which houses both the Today Show and NBC News, is owned by Comcast, whose own chief executive is Brian Roberts.

His departure comes following an investigation from an outside law firm into a complaint about an inappropriate workplace relationship, to which the now former CEO has admitted to. Though he only became CEO in 2020, Shell, 57, was part of the NBCU team since 2013, and worked for parent company Comcast since 2009.

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The news of his departure was addressed on the Today Show with a brief and straightforward overview by Craig Melvin.

Sunday marked Shell's last day as CEO, and in a statement, he said: "Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret."

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He added: "I'm truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege."

Laura Shell and CEO of NBCUniversal Jeff Shell attend the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California© Getty
Jeff has been married to his wife Laura Shell for 20 years and they have two children

While it has yet to be revealed who will succeed him, Roberts did say Shell's senior team would be reporting to Comcast's president Michael Cavanagh, putting him in control of NBCUniversal.

MORE: Hoda Kotb caught off guard live on Today with romantic gesture

MORE: Today stars Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie return to show following absence

The shake-up comes at a time of upheaval for the company, as it tries to shift from its dwindling cable presence into a more expansive streaming audience through its own platform, Peacock, which launched in April of 2020.

Jeff Shell, CEO, NBCUniversal, Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Ol Parker, Tim Bevan attend the premiere of Universal Pictures' "Ticket To Paradise" at Regency Village Theatre on October 17, 202© Getty
The former CEO with George Clooney and Julia Roberts at the premiere of Universal Pictures' Ticket to Paradise in 2022

Plus, it isn't the only departure NBC has seen from an established fixture of the company due to sexual misconduct.

In November of 2017, the cable giant announced that former Today Show anchor Matt Lauer's tenure on the morning show had been terminated, following news that he sexually harassed a female employee during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Several other allegations, including those of rape and indecent exposure, followed, and were exposed in detail in Ronan Farrow's explosive 2019 book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.

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