Amid all the other rumors floating around the ratings-troubled Today show and its longtime host Matt Lauer (that everyone hates him, that he might just peace and go host Jeopardy!, etc.) is a new one: Anderson Cooper was reportedly approached by NBC execs to replace Lauer before the end of the year. According to Deadline, Lauer is pissed and let Cooper know it after the 360 host reached out to him for his blessing. But TMZ claims that Lauer is actually happy about the choice of Cooper to replace him and “planned to have a meeting with Anderson to sit down and discuss it [but] put that meeting on hold because of a negative article that appeared in [New York magazine] a few days ago.”