Carson Daly

NBC Uncritically Peddles New Twist to ‘Pay Gap’ Myth: Boys Get Bigger Allowances
By Jeffrey Meyer | April 24, 2014 | 11:49 AM EDT

A day after the liberal website Think Progress wrote a piece complaining “There’s Even A Gender Gap In Children’s Allowances” the folks over at NBC rushed to tie the issue to the “pay gap” between men and women.

On Thursday, April 24, Today show co-host Matt Lauer hyped “We all know about a pay gap that exists for adult men and women in the work world, but there are surprising new numbers this morning revealing that that gap actually begins during childhood with the allowances we pay our kids. In a new survey, 70% of boys say they get an allowance. That’s compared to just 60% of girls.” [See video below.] 

ABC Skips Actor Liam Neeson Slamming Lib Mayor Bill de Blasio: 'Man Up'
By Scott Whitlock | March 10, 2014 | 5:20 PM EDT

Once again, ABC's Good Morning America avoided an issue that makes liberal New York Mayor Billl de Blasio look bad. CBS This Morning and NBC's Today on Monday both highlighted how popular actor Liam Neeson slammed the Democrat, telling him to "man up." Neeson and others are furious that de Blasio wants to ban horse-drawn carriage rides within the city. 

This Morning guest co-host Anthony Mason informed, "On Sunday, Neeson showed lawmakers the stables that show carriage horses that travel through Central Park. Neeson says the horses are well cared for." He added, "Neeson says, quote, '[de Blasio] should have manned up and come.'" On Today, Carson Daly noted, "Bill de Blasio wants to shut down the service, saying that the horses aren't treated humanely." Daly described the Taken movie star as "lashing out" over this. [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

NBC New Year’s Eve Mocks Pearl Harbor Survivors As Only Able to Chew SpaghettiOs
By Noel Sheppard | January 1, 2014 | 11:20 AM EST

On Pearl Harbor Day, Campbell’s got in a lot of trouble when it tweeted out a picture of its SpaghettiOs mascot holding an American flag and asking people to "take a moment to remember #PearlHarbor with us."

On NBC’s “New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly,” actress and comedienne Natasha Leggero disgustingly joked, “It sucks that the only survivors of Pearl Harbor are being mocked by the only food they can still chew” (video follows with transcript and commentary):

NBC Creates Twitter Meme to Bash Congress During Government Shutdown
By Kyle Drennen | October 3, 2013 | 5:01 PM EDT

In an effort to insulate President Obama from criticism during the government shutdown and focus all blame on members of Congress, NBC's Today created the Twitter topic #DearCongress to provide "a forum for you to vent." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

After urging viewers on Tuesday to use the hastag in their anti-Congress tweets, on Wednesday, the hosts of the network morning touted the success of the effort. Co-host Savannah Guthrie announced "growing public outrage on day two of the government shutdown." In a report that followed, White House correspondent Peter Alexander proclaimed: "Across the country, a growing chorus of frustration....Americans stepping up to the mic under the #DearCongress, that launched...here on Today."

Woman on 'Today' Plaza: GOP to Blame for Shutdown, Obama 'Best President We Have Had In a Very Long Time'
By Kyle Drennen | October 1, 2013 | 5:56 PM EDT

On Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Carson Daly turned to a woman on the Today show plaza for her reaction to the government shutdown. "Judy from Chicago" proceeded to bash Republicans and praise President Obama: "I think all of this amounts to is the Republicans are against President Obama. They don't want the President to be successful. I think he is the best president we have had in a very long time." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

She continued: "I think they need to work together. They knew for a long time this was coming to this. How about they don't receive any paychecks, just like everyone else?" Daly agreed: "Right. That's good thoughts. Thank you, Judy."

NBC Asks: 'If I Answer the Wrong Question, Is My Teacher Going to Shoot Me?'
By Kyle Drennen | August 1, 2013 | 12:02 PM EDT

During a panel discussion on Thursday's NBC Today about some school districts arming teachers to defend against mass shootings, fill-in co-host Carson Daly teed up New Jersey American Federation of Teachers president Donna Chiera to slam the idea: "Donna, you're a teacher. What's the impact – what do you think the impact would be on a child if they knew their teacher was carrying a gun?" [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Chiera launched into a bizarre rant: "I would hate for students to say, 'Oh, my goodness, if I answer the wrong question, is my teacher going to shoot me? If I make my teacher angry, is my teacher going to shoot me?'" Rather than reject such an absurd notion, Daly soberly wondered: "Do you think they would they make that connection?" News reader Natalie Morales and weatherman Al Roker also maintained straight faces following the outrageous commentary.

Celebrities Hammer Rolling Stone's Tsarnaev Cover as 'Tasteless,' 'Sickening'
By Randy Hall | July 19, 2013 | 12:18 AM EDT

Every musician and celebrity used to dream of being “on the cover of the Rolling Stone,” but that is apparently changing after the biweekly magazine for aged hippies interested in music ran a feature story and cover photo spotlighting alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The reaction has been explosive, with famous people ranging from wrestlers to actors and musicians slamming the publication's sympathetic coverage of the accused terrorist and publisher Jann Wenner with remarks ranging from “pathetic” to “irresponsible.”

'Today' Show Panel Praises Pop Culture Being 'Ahead of the Courts' on Gay Marriage
By Kyle Drennen | June 27, 2013 | 3:44 PM EDT

Leading off a panel discussion on Thursday's NBC Today applauding the Supreme Court's gay marriage decisions, co-host Natalie Morales proclaimed: "Wednesday's historic ruling on same-sex marriage is being celebrated across the country, but it was sixteen years ago when Ellen Degeneres marked a milestone, breaking a huge barrier in front of millions of people on primetime TV." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

After a clip played of Degeneres coming out on her sitcom in 1997, fill-in co-host Carson Daly posed the question: "So how much influence has pop culture had on America's changing attitude and the Supreme Court decision?" Later in the segment, Morales observed: "I mean, pop culture always seems to be ahead of the courts in these instances, right?"

NBC Panel: 'Conservative' Ruling on Gay Marriage Will Cause 'Backlash'; Traditional Marriage 'Archaic'
By Kyle Drennen | March 26, 2013 | 6:02 PM EDT

During a panel discussion on Tuesday's NBC Today, guest panelist Carson Daly, host of The Voice, ranted over the Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on gay marriage: "The more conservative the Court decision is, the more backlash there'll be by the people....I can't believe that we're even discussing this, it still seems so archaic. Because there is a new normal out there. We gotta move on." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump]

Attorney Star Jones compared gay marriage to interracial marriage and voiced her agreement with Daly. NBC chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman argued that even if the Court decided against gay marriage, it would inevitably become the law of the land: "I think we're going to see a generational shift. Younger people almost think this is a no big deal. And because, much like the civil rights, once it's institutionalized, there will be an acceptance and I think 20 to 30 years from now, we'll look back at this as a hiccup."