With “Today Show Bound?” as the on-screen header under video of Rosie O'Donnell, Access Hollywood co-anchor Nancy O'Dell on Friday advanced idle speculation about how “we have new information about her possibly joining the Today show.” But the “new information” was that she won't, though Today co-host Matt Lauer thought O'Donnell on the show “might work well for us.” Setting up a soundbite from Lauer at a Thursday event at the Museum of the Moving Image, O'Dell asserted: “And you can forget about Rosie being on NBC's fourth hour of Today beginning in September.” Viewers of the NBC-produced nightly entertainment news show then heard from Lauer: “Being a news show, we do have to walk a little bit of a tighter line than she's used to walking and so it might work well for us, but I don't know how well it would work for Rosie.”

The AccessHollywood.com version of the story reported:

“When asked about possibility of O'Donnell joining NBC in September, as they extend the Today show with a fourth hour, Lauer added, 'I think she may be a little controversial for the fourth hour of the Today show. With a new show, we kind of have to walk a little bit of a tighter line than she's used to walking. It might work well for us; I don't know how well it would work for Rosie.'”

A transcript of the segment on the April 27 Access Hollywood:

Nancy O'Dell: “Rosie O'Donnell, we have new information about her possibly joining the Today show, along with the first reaction from another one of her verbal sparring partners, Star Jones.”

Star Jones: “You know what? It was funny. I actually found out on the plane.”

O'Dell: “A slim and trim Star Jones, who was fired from The View last June, heard the surprising Rosie news from her plane seat mate.”

Jones: “I had no idea. And then when I landed, of course, I found out that she announced it. I wish her the very best in what she's doing next as I do for all ladies over there. I know whatever they do next is going to be great.”

O'Dell: “Star joined former View moderator Meredith Vieira last night as the Museum of the Moving Image honored her new man, Matt Lauer.”

Meredith Vieira: “I actually was surprised. I had heard rumblings in the past that she might not stay beyond the one year, but as she says it's show biz.”

Lauer: “She may be a little controversial for the fourth hour of the Today show.”

O'Dell: “And you can forget about Rosie being on NBC's fourth hour of Today beginning in September.”

Lauer: “Being a news show, we do have to walk a little bit of a tighter line than she's used to walking and so it might work well for us, but I don't know how well it would work for Rosie.”

—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center