Today Show

Linda sat down with Matt Lauer on the "Today Show" to talk about her autobiography -- "Wrestling the Hulk: My Life Against the Ropes" -- in which she details Hulk's alleged violent behavior.

She writes, "[Hulk] tore my shirt. He threw lamps. He held me down on the bed with his hands around my throat during arguments, slamming doors, pounding walls. I was always afraid he would kill me in one of his rages."

When Matt asked if Hulk ever showed remorse for his actions -- Linda replied, "He did not feel remorse — and to this day he’s never apologized for any of his actions."

Vieira will reportedly remain on the show until June --- nearly 3 months before the end of her contract.

According to the report, Vieira will be replaced by newsreader Ann Curry ... and correspondent Natalie Morales will be bumped up to Curry's old spot.

Sources connected with NBC tell us all the talk about Matt leaving NBC's "Today" is nothing more than a well-timed negotiating ploy. Remember, the Matt buzz started right after reports surfaced Meredith will leave in September.

"Today" has been the #1 morning news show for 15 years -- a virtual cash register for the Peacock -- and we're told Matt wants his slice of the pie ... in other words ... $25 mil.

Lauer currently gets by on $17 million per year.

Sources connected with Lindsay tell TMZ Lindsay told her mom not to go on "Today" last week. When Dina defied her and yakked with Matt Lauer, Lindsay was "furious."

Our sources say ever since the interview Lindsay has been wary of her mom and is beginning to understand her antics are part of the reason she has so many problems. The flip side, sources say, is that Lindsay is beginning to realize Dina's demonization of Michael is not a true picture -- that both parents share the blame.

Lindsay, we're told, is impressed with her dad's seeming sincerity in reaching out.

Just hours ago, Kanye went to his Twitter page and pounded out the following message, "I'm not performing on the Today Show for obvious reasons. I'm so happy the world got to see just a small piece of 'the set up.'"

As we previously reported, Kanye butted heads with "Today" over an interview they aired on Wednesday -- in which Kanye said, "I would tell George Bush, in my moment of frustration that I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist."

Kanye flipped out on Twitter yesterday -- after "Today" aired a clip of the interview -- claiming Lauer "tried to force" his answers during Tuesday's sit-down ... in which the rapper said, "I would tell George Bush, in my moment of frustration that I didn't have the grounds to call him a racist."

But Lauer stood by his interview -- which addressed the rapper's famous post-Katrina remark that Bush "doesn't care about black people" -- airing the entire segment this morning to prove that nothing was taken out of context.

Kanye is scheduled to return to "Today" for a performance on November 26th -- and sources at the show tell us they're still expecting the rapper to show up.

Sources tell TMZ the NBC show has definite interest in landing the coveted sit-down with LiLo -- a source at the Peacock says they are "actively" trying to sign her.

We're told Lindsay is strongly considering Matt Lauer & Co. -- among several other outlets -- which is ironic considering Dina Lohan's "Today" appearance didn't go over so well.

Maybe now she can clear up once and for all just how many times she went to rehab.

Beyonce has officially been cleared of all bad singing charges -- the atrocious supposed "board mix" of her performance on "The Today Show" last year was altered after all.

Just as Mathew Knowles told us, the audio clip that many people believed was leaked from "Today" was indeed a fake.

In fact, TMZ found the person behind the prank who was surprised it went as far as it did, saying, "It's a little bit crazy. No one in their right mind would sound like that, and no one would cheer for someone singing like that."

Apparently, the dude never went to an Ashlee Simpson concert...

The King of All Media ran the supposedly leaked audio clip on his Sirius radio show yesterday.