Today Show

The MAGA hat-wearing high schooler who drew the ire of many for standing and smirking at Vietnam-era vet Nathan Phillips during a protest says he meant no disrespect ... but it doesn't seem like he's planning on saying sorry either.

Nick Sandmann is speaking in public for the first time since the incident went down in D.C. Friday, telling 'Today' show co-host Savannah Guthrie he feels he had every right to do what he did.

Sandmann also tells Guthrie, who asks him if he sees any fault in his actions, he respects Phillips and hopes he can talk to him ... and wishes he could have avoided the situation.

As you know, Sandmann and his classmates from Covington Catholic HS in Kentucky were seen on video surrounding Phillips -- a Native American participating in the Indigenous People's March -- laughing and chanting at him while he was singing and drumming.

Sandmann particularly stood out as he stood face-to-face with Phillips, steadfast with a smirk.

Many believe the vid shows the students harassing Phillips, but others came to the defense of Sandmann and the students later, claiming a longer video shows Phillips was the instigator of the confrontation. Sandmann backed this in a full written statement, claiming Phillips singled him out and he simply stood his ground.

Megyn Kelly is keeping herself busy during her work furlough ... because she just reported for jury duty in New York, the first time in years she's had time to perform her civic duty.

The former NBC and Fox News host showed up Thursday morning at Manhattan Supreme Court, and she was ready for a long day ... Megyn was packing a couple newspapers, two crossword books, and an iPad with "Crazy Rich Asians" on deck.

We're guessing she's been hitting the gym in her downtime, too ... sounds like one heavy purse!

As you know ... Megyn hasn't been on the air since October, when she was ousted from NBC for her blackface remarks.

Megyn was in a joking mood even before she showed up to the courthouse. Of course, you can really take advantage of funemployment when you're raking in around $35 million.

Watch ... Megyn says she hasn't served on a jury in forever, and she drops another hint about when she might return to TV.

Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb can't seem to decide who has more word in choosing a replacement for KLG on the "Today" show ... but it's definitely one of them.

We got the NBC morning show anchors Wednesday in NYC, the day after Kathie announced she's leaving "Today" at the end of her 11th year. Our photog asked who's in line to fill Kathie's shoes, and she enthusiastically says, "Whoever Hoda wants, Hoda gets."

For her part, Hoda played it coy, saying ... "This is all about KLG." Kathie immediately refutes that, though, but Hoda insists it is. It's like an Abbot and Costello bit here, really.

Our camera guy throws out Jenna Bush Hager as a possibility -- who's said to be in the running -- but Hoda and Kathie are definitely playing this close to the vest.

Kathie Lee Gifford is saying sayonara to the "Today" show ... after she reaches the 11-year mark.

Kathie Lee unveiled her play Tuesday on the show, and she and her co-host, Hoda Kotb, immediately dissolved into tears.

Kathie didn't say why she's leaving, but it's gotta be a blow to NBC. The 10 AM hour of "Today" was one of the most profitable shows for the network. It was doing consistently well, although it suffered a drop in rating during the Megyn Kelly tenure.

It's pretty remarkable ... Kathie was a phenom with Regis Philbin on their morning show, "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee." After leaving that show in 2000, she took a break. It's almost impossible to recreate magic in a bottle, and there were doubters when she went to "Today," but she proved them wrong ... really wrong.

Her last day will be her 11-year anniversary on April 7, 2019 -- and she is leaving to pursue music, movie and TV opportunities.

Kathie started her career as the "singing girl" on "Name that Tune" in 1977.

It's bad enough the Raiders are terrible ... but now they're hurting Carson Daly!!!!

Everyone knows the "Today" show star is a sensitive guy ... and he really cares about the Silver & Black.

So, when we asked how he was handling this dumpster fire of a season, Carson kept it real.

"Please don't get me started ... I don't want to cry. It hurts."

ARE YOU READING THIS JON GRUDEN?! DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO OUR NATIONAL TREASURE?!

But wait, there's more ... we asked if the Raiders should consider moving on from quarterback Derek Carr.

"No. It's Gruden I have an issue with right now" ... adding, "I'm just upset Khalil Mack's gone. I'm upset [Amari Cooper] is gone."

"I'm very distraught over it. I'm a die-hard fan."

Megyn Kelly has told NBC she will not spill whatever beans she has on the network and the people who work there ... but at a hefty price.

Sources familiar with the negotiations tell TMZ ... NBC offered Kelly $38 million, which the network says represents the balance owed on her contract. As we reported, Megyn was pulling in around $25 mil a year and she was one year and some change into the 3-year deal.

We're told NBC attached a pretty standard string ... a confidentiality agreement. Her lawyer said his client would sign on the dotted line ... for an additional $10 million. We're told NBC told the attorney to pound sand.

NBC definitely has cause for concern ... Kelly wrote a book, "Settle for More," in which she targeted Fox News Channel, and she has been critical of the network since her exit.

We're told settlement negotiations are ongoing.

The Daily Mail first reported the $10 million demand.

Aly Raisman just went OFF on USA Gymnastics -- saying the organization is still not being transparent about the child abuse scandal and warns the public ... THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED.

Raisman is really pissed about the fact there still has not been a full, independent investigation by law enforcement ... despite the fact she's been calling for one since JANUARY!!!

Raisman calls the situation "absolutely absurd."

During her interview with Hoda Kotb on "Today," Aly also stated, "We can't trust USA Gymnastics because they're not being transparent."

She was referring to 2 major recent developments in the program. First, Team USA tumbling coach Sergio Galvez being forced to resign amid undisclosed accusations of misconduct on Monday.

Second, Steve Penny -- the former president of USA Gymnastics -- being arrested by U.S. Marshals for allegedly tampering with evidence in the Larry Nassar case.

Aly's problem ... she claims Team USA Gymnastics needs to be more open about what really happened behind the scenes. Instead, she claims the org is more concerned with fixing a PR problem than a "child abuse problem."

Al Roker got the last laugh in the Megyn Kelly disaster because sources connected with the network tell us, Roker will be back in the anchor chair during the 9 AM hour ... after being replaced by Kelly last year.

Our network sources tell us, the network will go back to its tried-and-true formula of using existing NBC talent for the 9 AM show, and Roker will be a big part of that.

Al had the 9 AM hour, but last year he was taken off the show ... to make room for Megyn later that year. We're told Al was bitterly disappointed but still gracious.

Her ratings have been a disaster, affecting the show that followed with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford.

As you know ... Roker called out Kelly for her blackface comment ... something that was a factor in Kelly's exit.

The Monday show was anchored by Hoda and Al ... Hoda said today begins "a new chapter." It's unclear if Hoda will also be part of the 9 AM team. It seems unlikely, because she's already on from 7 - 9 AM and again at 10 AM.

Megyn's exit deal is being negotiated. TMZ broke the story ... she's asking for $50 million to settle up. She was pulling in $25 million a year.

Megyn Kelly is getting torn to shreds, deservedly so, by her coworkers at NBC -- especially Al Roker -- who demanded she apologize to the country for her asinine blackface comments ... and she did.

Megyn began her show Wednesday morning with a 2-minute mea culpa ... insisting she had learned a lesson due to the massive backlash after she said it was fine to wear blackface for Halloween "as long as it's a character."

In her apology, she said, "It is not okay for that to be part of any costume. Halloween or otherwise. I've never been a PC kind of person, but I do understand the value of being sensitive to our history. Particularly on race and ethnicity."

Worth noting ... her apology drew a standing ovation from audience members -- many of whom were African-American.

It's unclear if her apology went far enough for Al, though. A few hours earlier, he blasted her on the air, saying ... "She owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country."

Megyn Kelly, who's had her own battles with President Trump, is shockingly in his corner ... at least when it comes to the anonymous New York Times op-ed author showing his or her face!

The "Today" host was leaving NBC Studios in NYC Thursday when we asked about the contentious letter which claims Trump staffers are actively working to undermine 45. Megyn says the author of the letter is gutless, and needs to come out and speak publicly against Trump ... instead of working in the shadows.

Considering her rocky history with Trump, it's interesting to hear Megyn echo the administration's message regarding the anonymous piece.

She did say shortly after the election she and Trump were good.

Suzanne Somers seems down with giving Matt Lauer a second chance ... and she fears the casualty in all of this is old-school flirting.

We got Suzanne Wednesday in Bev Hills leaving Madeo and asked if she agreed with Lauer's first wife saying he deserves another chance. Suzanne says she can only speak from experience and says he was always lovely to her. She went on to say she's not in a position to judge what Lauer did on his time off.

Lauer was fired for -- among other things -- allegedly dropping trou in his office in front of a female staffer and presenting another staffer with a sex toy. It's pretty clear Suzanne means she has no idea what Lauer did in private.

If you're wondering if people will flock to see Aerosmith in Vegas, look no further than exhibit A on the "Today" show ... where fans literally couldn't keep their hands off the band.

Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and co. were making their way onto the NBC morning show set Wednesday to talk about the residency with a sea of people around them begging for high fives and cheering them on. One daring spectator actually crossed the barricade to bum-rush Steven for a selfie.

Gotta say, he handled it like a pro ... sloughing him off with ease and keeping it moving without incident. If this dude thought he could get away with that ... Steven pretty much told him to dream on. He basically said as much on Twitter, anyway.

Matt Lauer's closing the book on his life in NYC ... at least for now.

The fired "Today" show co-host finally unloaded his 4 bed, 4.5 bath apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side Monday, months after news broke he was selling it. Pics of his pad show a closet full of Lauer's on-air suits ... which have obviously been gathering dust since late November.

Matt used the home during the week while he was working in the city, but after he was canned from his TV job for sexual misconduct ... he put it on the market.

According to the NY Post, he hauled in more than $7 million on the sale.

Robin Wright says her interactions with Kevin Spacey were all between "action" and "cut," and she had no clue about his alleged predatory behavior.

The "House of Cards" star spoke publicly for the first time since Spacey was embroiled in a storm of sexual assault accusations. Robin told Savannah Guthrie on "TODAY" she's not heard from Kevin and doesn't even know how to reach him -- translation, they were not buds outside of work.

TMZ broke the story ... Kevin's facing 3 new sexual assault allegations in London by 3 men. There are additional allegations in London, and there's also an active criminal investigation in Massachusetts involving a then 18-year-old man.

Scarlett Johansson's fired up about a former Scientologist making a claim -- on live TV -- that she once auditioned to date Tom Cruise ... and she's not letting him get away with it.

The 'Avengers' star put Brendan Tighe -- who says he used to work on Cruise's Scientology security team -- on blast after he appeared on Megyn Kelly's NBC show Wednesday and claimed she was on a list of women who auditioned to date him after his split from Nicole Kidman years ago.

Johansson tells The Hollywood Reporter, "The very idea of any person auditioning to be in a relationship is so demeaning. I refuse for anyone to spread the idea that I lack the integrity to choose my own relationships."

She added ... "Only a man aka Brendan Tighe would come up with a crazy story like that."

Tighe also claimed Scarlett's audition must not have gone well, because actress and Scientologist Erika Christensen had to distance herself from her afterward.

Kim Kardashian says the first person she called to start the process of freeing Alice Johnson was none other than Ivanka Trump ... who apparently got things in motion.

Kim and Alice sat down with "TODAY" host Hoda Kotb and explained how Alice came to be released from prison last week while serving a life sentence. Kim says she called Ivanka, who was completely sympathetic to Alice's situation. The rest is history.

A few other interesting tidbits from the interview -- Alice says she had no idea who Kim was before getting a ton of help from her. Also ... Kim says she cracked a joke about Khloe to President Trump to break the ice during the Oval Office meeting.