Tamron Hall is ready for a new beginning after walking away from the Today show. As we previously reported, it was alleged that the former co-anchor walked away because of a surprise replacement deal with Megyn Kelly. Needless to say, the news shocked a lot of people.

But according to People, reliable sources explain why Tamron felt compelled to do it.

“Just a few days before all of this happened, [Tamron] received an email [from an exec] congratulating the team for being number one,” a source close to Tamron told People. “Then all of a sudden, it was like it vanished: Megyn Kelly is coming onboard, and who’s going to have to move? Tamron. That’s who.”

However, another source close to the show said that Tamron had known her time slot was never set in stone — “The idea that she could have been at all surprised rings totally false. In the brief period of time in which she has been part of the 9 a.m. hour ensemble, the ratings have only shrunk (the recent wins over Kelly Ripa were only because that show has tanked in the last several weeks. And no network is in the business of being the slowest sinking ship)…

“Tamron was told many months ago, a long-term commitment could not be made to her regarding the 9 a.m. hour, but she was offered many millions of dollars to remain at Today and the network. The staff is hurt and bewildered, and thinks once again Tamron has put herself above the team.”

Following Tamron’s departure, NBC came under fire and began getting accused of whitewashing the network — many claimed it was trying to be the “new Fox News.”

But as Tamron’s source said, ““She wasn’t going to settle for sitting on the sidelines.”

“She basically said thank you, but no thank you,” the anchor’s good friend, TV writer-producer Mara Brock Akil, said. “Tamron’s a woman of integrity and she’s writing her own story.”