Tamron Hall was ‘heartbroken’ by ‘Today’ exit, promises ‘authentic’ daytime talk show

NEW YORK – Tamron Hall has always known she’s unique. Take, for instance, her first name. 

“When I was in second grade, the nun that I had (at school) called me ‘Tamara Hall’ about 60,000 times,” says the former “Today” show anchor with a laugh. “I went home crying like, ‘Mom, she keeps calling me Tamara.’ Then my mother confronted the nun,” and that was that. 

More: Tamron Hall: ‘Wrong choice’ by NBC, ‘Today’ opened the door to her new daytime talk show

Her boldfaced moniker is one of the first things you notice walking onto the homey set of Hall’s new syndicated daytime talk show, “The Tamron Hall Show,” premiering nationwide Monday, including on many ABC stations. Unlike the austere whites and blues of many TV sets, the “Tamron” studio is bathed in vibrant shades of purple and orange, with wide aisles so Hall can walk freely through the audience and talk to people. 

Former "Today" anchor Tamron Hall says she wants her talk show audience, "to be as close as humanly possible. It's not a gimmick … I'm a hugger, I'm a toucher – I like that interaction." (Photo: Walt Disney Television/Jeff Neira)

“The colors are feminine and strong” to reflect “that part of me that’s girly but still a grown woman. I’m a girl who’s been through a lot,” Hall says matter-of-factly, dressed in black Dickies coveralls as she breathlessly gives a tour of the Upper West Side studio. 

As for the audience, “I want them to be as close as humanly possible,” she continues. “It’s not a gimmick: It’s a part of my authentic journey as a journalist but also who I am as a person. I’m a hugger, I’m a toucher – I like that interaction.” 

Patterned after daytime greats Oprah Winfrey and Phil Donahue, Hall’s inspirational show is rooted in audience participation. Conversations focus on topics close to her and many other women, including relationships, “mommy shaming” and fertility. (Hall conceived her 4-month-old son, Moses, through IVF treatments with new husband Steven Greener, a music executive.) 

More: Hoda Kotb returns to ‘Today’ show, praises maternity leave: ‘You come back more whole’

Guests during a recent test-show taping included a 32-year-old woman who chose to freeze her eggs to take the pressure off dating and settling down, and a mom who allowed her 7-year-old son with autism to fly on an airplane by himself. 

“The audience was like, ‘Wait a minute, I wouldn’t let my 17-year-old go alone on a flight,’ but she was prepared to answer (their) questions,” Hall says. “What we want is to foster this environment where it’s OK to ask a question and you don’t have to feel under siege.”

"Today" co-anchor Tamron Hall, left, Billy Bush, Al Roker and "SNL" star Kate McKinnon during a 2016 episode of the morning news show. (Photo: Peter Kramer, NBC)

Veering slightly from daytime norms, “Tamron” will air a mix of live episodes and shows taped a day in advance. Given Hall’s extensive journalism background as an NBC News correspondent and MSNBC anchor, each show starts with a news roundup, allowing audience members to weigh in “on what’s going on in the world,” says co-executive producer Talia Parkinson-Jones.  And when she interviews celebrities, “they’re not just coming to plug their projects, but really share their stories. Our show is very diverse, and that’s what’s going to make it special in daytime.” 

The format is new terrain for Hall, 48, returning to TV after a two-year absence. In February 2017, she shocked “Today” show viewers with her abrupt departure from NBC after losing her 9 a.m. hour with Al Roker to make way for the short-lived “Megyn Kelly Today.”  

Tamron Hall, 48, will cover women's issues, true crime and even fashion in her wide-ranging hour-long show. (Photo: Walt Disney Television/Jeff Neira)

“I was heartbroken,” Hall says of her decision to exit. “(Imagine) you’ve been putting in the work, and suddenly your employer says they’re phasing you out. I had some suspicions, because I’m a reporter and I’m pretty intuitive, but no one wants to lose their job. It wasn’t about who I was losing it to – it was like a relationship where you’re putting in 100% and the person who’s putting in less has the nerve to break up with you.”

Hall insists that she in no way feels vindicated by Kelly’s swift firing after making controversial blackface comments that led, in part, to her show’s cancellation last fall. 

“I wasn’t going to wait for someone else not to work out when I could be figuring out a way for me to work out – I didn’t want Megyn Kelly to see me lurking in the hallway,” Hall says. “I didn’t want to watch as my profile was being shrunk down to nothing when I know that I have a unique perspective and voice in this business that is appreciated by people who watch TV. I’m grateful for that.” 

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