Imagine if your co-worker got a huge pay raise, but said co-worker stipulated in the conditions that you get the axe? Welcome to Ann Curry’s world. Curry, who has been a long-time fixture of the Today show, will likely be canned now that Matt Lauer has renewed his contract and asked that she not be his co-host.
When Lauer re-signed with Today, he made it clear he wanted a new co-anchor, but NBC delayed making an immediate change because the network didn’t want it to look like it was Lauer’s doing.
Since Meredith Vieira left the show and Curry has stepped in to replace her, the show’s ratings have hit an all-time low. And now, Curry is on the chopping block, with the network all but admitting she’s a goner. Still, in the midst of such turmoil, Curry showed up for work and put on her game face, interviewing Steve Carell and continuing to smile through the typical Today show fluff pieces.
Meanwhile, reports are surfacing that NBC offered the former anchor, Vieira, her old gig back two weeks ago, but she turned them down flat.
Curry recently told Ladies Home Journal about the Today show’s slipping ratings, ”It’s hard not to take it personally. You worry, Am I not good enough? Am I not what people need? Am I asking the right questions? When people say negative things or speculate, you can’t help but feel hurt. I know NBC pays my salary but I have never doubted who I work for. I think about the people who watch. They’re the ones who matter to me. I want to feel I haven’t dropped the ball when it comes to them.”
As for who will replace Ann, word on the street is that the frontrunner is Savannah Guthrie, who co-hosts the third hour of Today. Meanwhile, Ann Curry and Matt Lauer must put on friendly co-anchor faces while they await the axe to fall on Ann’s head, both knowing that this was primarily Matt’s doing. Must be fun.
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