The Today Show, or simply Today, is one of the most popular and long lasting American breakfast TV shows ever. The popularity of The Today Show goes beyond the American boundaries, as people worldwide are watching it. Since 1952, when The Today Show aired for the first time, 61 seasons have passed, comprising 17,937 episodes, as of February 2012. The Today Show is actually the 4th-longest running American TV series and was even designated one of the greatest TV shows of all time by TV Guide. The Today Show is also popular due to its amazing hosts. And Matt Lauer is one of the best ones.

Matt Lauer was born on December 30, 1957, in New York City, to boutique owner Marilyn Kolmer and bicycle-company executive jay Robert Lauer. Matt Lauer graduated from Ohio University, where he attended the School of Media Arts and Studies. In 1979, Matt Lauer was beginning his career in television, working as a producer of the 12 o’clock news for a local television in West Virginia. In the following year, Matt Lauer was already an on-air reporter for the morning newscasts. He then decided to move around the country in order to advance his career in journalism. He was a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, as well as the host of PM Magazine. Matt Lauer also worked for ESPN as a sideline reporter and hosted segments of HBO Entertainment News later on.

In 1993, Matt Lauer finally got his big break. He filled in as the newsreader on the The Today Show for Margaret Larson. The following year, Matt Lauer was already a full-time cast member on The Today Show. He started as a news anchor and he has never left The Today Show ever since. Starting with 1997, Matt Lauer is a co-anchor of The Today Show. When The Today Show producers came up with the idea of a series about their family roots, Matt Lauer and Katie Couric initially resisted. They changed their mind, though, and the series turned out to be a hit. Matt Lauer is surely one of those faces that people will always remember. And he has The Today Show to thank for that.