Before we left NBC yesterday, Al Roker wanted us to deliver a message to his competitor at ABC’s Good Morning America, Chris Cuomo. “Next time I see him, I’m going to drop him like a fly,” he said (hey, it’s still sweeps).
TVNewser has documented the past trash talk. Roker’s wife Deborah Roberts, who works for ABC, appeared on GMA in July for a cooking segment, and when Roker called in, he and Cuomo hurled some joking insults.
Roker tells us the genesis of the friendly feud was an event honoring ABC News president David Westin that both attended (it appears to be this one). Roker says as he was leaving around 10pm, Cuomo ribbed him for the early exit, saying other people had to wake up too. “Talk to me when you’re doing more than two hours,” Roker responded.
The rest is morning show feud history. Roker also made a point to mention how much he likes and respects the rest of the GMA team…except for that one guy.
Well Chris, the ball is in your court…
> Update: Cuomo responds by email this morning: “If we could only harness the power of that mouth, we might find a true alternative fuel…I just got the invite to his holiday party, so he will get his chance to man-up soon enough.”