Ann Curry Fired Was a Mistake According to Insiders on 'TODAY Show' Who Also Claim Matt Lauer is 'Hated'
Ann Curry's exit from the "TODAY Show" has left several staffers so disappointed that one of them came forward to admit that it was a mistake for NBC to replace her with Savannah Guthrie.
Curry's former colleagues have also anonymously disclosed that Matt Lauer is "hated" by NBC executives and longtime staffers for having a hand in her departure.
"There are several producers that have been with the 'TODAY Show' for a very long time, over ten years, and Matt Lauer is now hated by them because they feel that he is responsible for Ann Curry's being fired," a source told RadarOnline, reported on Aug. 17.
"The staffers of the 'TODAY Show' miss Ann tremendously and feel it was a mistake to replace her with Savannah," a different insider said in another report.
The second source offered an option NBC should consider to help improve "TODAY Show" ratings: "...some have even suggested privately that Matt Lauer take a long vacation and see how the ratings would shake out in that scenario."
The statements came two days after the show's biggest rival, "Good Morning America," trumped NBC in the morning show war - "TODAY" ratings were ahead of "GMA" on Monday and Tuesday, but Robert Pattinson's live "GMA" interview on Wednesday, Aug. 15, to promote his independent film "Cosmopolis," brought the rival network back on top.
NBC replaced Curry with Guthrie in late June to help increase morning show ratings.
"TODAY" topped the list of morning shows with the most viewers for 16 years but in the last several months, "GMA" has garnered the highest ratings, according to several reports.
The claims were revealed a day after "TODAY" correspondent Al Roker made a joke hinting that Lauer may be responsible for the switch from Curry to Guthrie.
On Thursday, Aug.16, Lauer said the following to Olympic women's rowing team member Mary Whipple in an interview:
"The ladies threw you in the water after winning the gold? The tradition here in New York is you throw her in the Hudson River."
Weatherman Roker replied, "Which is different to our tradition here which is to throw one of us under the bus! But that's a different story..."
Lauer and Guthrie replied to Roker at almost the same time, "Mr. Roker!"
Curry ended a year-long stint as co-host with Lauer after NBC's ratings declined. She then became "Today" anchor-at-large and an international and national correspondent for NBC News.
