The cast and crew of the "TODAY" show are supporting anchor Matt Lauer and are not blaming him for the firing of former co-host Ann Curry. 

Although for years they triumphed over "Good Morning America," "TODAY" now places second against the ABC morning show. 

But has their lower ratings brought the cast and crew closer together? According to a RadarOnline source, "The cast and crew have rallied around Matt and feel that he has been unfairly blamed for Ann's firing."

The source explained that executive producer Jim Bell ultimately made the decision to let go of Curry and said the transition from Curry to new co-host Savannah Guthrie was not a smooth one. 

"It wasn't handled well," the RadarOnline source admitted. 

According to the source, Lauer is determined to get "TODAY" back on top and has been working with the staff to make it a reality. Plus, the source said, Lauer is a pleasure to work with. 

"If Matt was such a tyrant to be around, why has he had the same assistant for over 15 years? Bryant went through a slew of assistants during his time at NBC and Matt has only had one during his tenure. A majority of the producers have also been on the staff for a number of years -- if Matt was so horrible to be around, why isn't there a revolving door of exits?" 

New York Post's Page Six wrote a story that claimed Lauer and executive producer Jim Bell have been "meeting to discuss issues with the show and how to fix it."

Page six sources claimed Lauer had taken up responsibilities that his position did not warrant him to do.

"Matt's turned into an anchor animal," a network source said. "He's making all editorial decisions, he's running the show and he's not listening to anyone . . . it's a huge problem."

But Bell tried to set the record straight in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, with regards to Curry getting fired.

"And Matt, I need to say for the record, really should not bear any of the blame for that. I'm the executive producer of the show. He's not. He's the public face of the show, so he's taken some of this. But it has been wrong. And that fact should be corrected."

RadarOnline recently reported that Curry will appear on the morning show on a more routine basis. 

"We think Savannah is a great host and works well with everybody, and we love, frankly, having Ann in the role that she's in now," Bell told The Hollywood Reporter in late September. "She continues to bring prestige to NBC News and the Today show. She made news this morning interviewing the president of Libya. Again, I made a tough call. It was a difficult change, but it was an important and needed change."