Meredith Vieira steps in as host for NBC primetime Olympic coverage

Meredith Vieira will be stepping in to host NBC’s primetime coverage of the Winter Olympics on Friday, filling in for Bob Costas.

Bob Costas, as the world has seen, is fighting an awful eye infection, forcing him to recover during his usual Olympic primetime duties. Today Show anchor Matt Lauer has been filling in for him but pulling double duty has stretched him thin, which led NBC to bring in Lauer’s former Today Show co-anchor.

According to Yahoo Sports Vieira will make history as well, being the first woman to ever serve as a solo host for Olympic primetime coverage on an American network. While other names including Dan Patrick and Al Michaels had been tossed around, Vieira has been a partner with the Olympics coverage many times over, including co-hosting Opening Ceremonies with Lauer.

Unfortunately for Costas, no word on a return to his post yet. Costas leaving the primetime coverage ended a streak of 157 consecutive appearances as NBC's Olympics anchor in prime time. When Matt Lauer took over, it was the first time since 1988 that Costas did not host NBC's coverage.

Image: NBC Universal

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