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 Could “Today” veteran and news reader Natalie Morales 
 
 be the next to leave the NBC morning show? 
 
 Sources tell us “Today” will announce the long-rumored departure of its co-host Ann Curry by the end of the week, and that the show’s third-hour co-host Savannah Guthrie is the front-runner to replace her. The network’s Hoda Kotb has also been reported to be in line to take the reins. 
 
 But, either way, sources tell us Morales could be next out the door. “If Natalie’s passed over for the job, she’s going to leave next,” a source told Page Six. 
 
 Morales has been with “Today” since 2006 and was mentioned as a possible replacement for Meredith Vieira when Vieira stepped down from her co-anchor post last year. 
 
 “This will be the second time [Natalie] has been passed over for the top job. And she’s not happy,” a source tell us. 
 
 A NBC Universal rep had no comment on Curry or her replacement, but said the talk about Morales being disgruntled is “totally untrue.” 
 
 A different source adds: “Natalie couldn’t be happier in her current role.” 
 
 Curry, meanwhile, is expected to leave “Today” imminently, after a year on the job. 
 
 During her time as co-anchor, the program’s ratings have slipped — at times lower than rival ABC’s “Good Morning America.” 
 
 Sources tell us NBC suits are currently locked in meetings around the clock to finalize Curry’s exit. The network has been negotiating with her over a severance package from her $10 million-a-year contract. 
 
 While the sources said an announcement about Curry is finally expected by the end of the week, some insiders said the news could come as soon as today. 
 
 Although sources at NBC say Guthrie is the current favorite to replace Curry, others close to the talks say that brass had not made any final decisions as of last night. 

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– It's official: Ann Curry is saying goodbye to Today viewers this morning, she told USA Today in an emotional interview yesterday. It's "going to be a bit of a tough day," Curry says, but she is excited about her new role within NBC: She will lead a seven-person unit covering stories around the world, and you'll likely see her pieces on NBC Nightly News, Dateline, Rock Center, and, yes, even Today. She will also serve as a fill-in anchor, and her contract lasts "a significant amount of time" beyond just a few years, she says. But despite her excitement, the leaks surrounding her imminent departure from Today have "hurt," she adds. She denies many of the rumors—her chemistry with Matt Lauer is just fine, thank you—and says she doesn't think she was given enough time to work out the "kinks" of her first year as co-host. NBC News President Steve Capus implies that low ratings are behind the changes, but adds that the new position is a better fit for Curry. No official word on her replacement, but reports still say it's Savannah Guthrie. And, of course, there are more juicy rumors: The New York Post claims Today's Natalie Morales is threatening to leave if she's passed over for the job (she was already passed over once, when Curry replaced Meredith Vieira). And the National Enquirer chimes in with the reason it says Morales will be passed over yet again: There are longstanding rumors that Lauer fathered one of her kids, and the tabloid claims Lauer's wife threatened divorce if he pushed for Morales as co-host.