Matt Lauer

I was one of these people, especially early in my career, who balanced the equation too much in favor of my job; I spent most of my life focusing on that. But becoming a dad gave me back perspective; it brought balance into my life.

When you get your dream job, you'd be really hard-pressed to leave it. Unless you've got another dream job out there.

Early on, I had five jobs in a row where I was either fired or canceled.

This is the best job in television. I grew up watching the 'Today show.'

You get your dream job and, in my opinion, despite anything they might say about you professionally or personally, you shut up, and you just do the job - and enjoy it.

When you have somebody in a position of power show interest in you after you've kind of been down and out, that's a big boost.

If I feel like I've done a great job during an interview with the president of the United States live in the Oval Office, it doesn't give me a tenth of the good feeling of going to the school play and making eye contact with my kids as they're onstage delivering their lines. Nothing compares with that moment of connection.

There are pockets of liberal, affluent America where parents don't want their kids vaccinated.

People don't want to see me having a bad morning. They have job problems, financial problems, family pressures, kids to get off to school. The last thing they want to wake up to is someone showing them the same problems. So maybe that's the one time I am forced to act.

I kid my friends who are golfers, and I say, 'If you ever hear me complain, hit me in the butt with a putter' because I have no reason to complain. Even on days when you don't like what you see in the paper, I have no reason to complain.

People have the right to say whatever they want.

I did not stay at the 'Today' show because of money. I think there are other ways to make money.