Curry ‘Still Processing’ Lauer’s Firing But Speaks Out About Sexual Harassment

Ann Curry and Matt Lauer on the set of “The Today Show.”

Following Matt Lauer’s termination from NBC News on Tuesday evening over allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior, former “Today Show” co-host Ann Curry has been mentioned frequently in social media discussions of the firing, which some described as “karma.”

Curry was herself fired from “Today” in 2012, a year after she was promoted from news anchor to the couch with Lauer. Curry had worked with Lauer for more than a decade. Her tearful final appearance on the show led to sympathy for her and hostility toward Lauer.

According to CNN, many of Curry’s fans believe that Lauer was behind her ouster, a theory that was supported by Brian Stelter’s 2013 book “Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.” The book described “Operation Bambi,” an effort within NBC to force Curry off the show. Lauer was said to dislike working with her and made that known when he was negotiating his new contract.

“Harassment and abuse is always about power … don’t forget what Matt Lauer did to Ann Curry,” Alexis King tweeted on Wednesday.

“Brohibition Now” tweeted, “They should make Matt Lauer give a ‘tearful, emotional’ goodbye on live television like they did to Ann Curry.”

Some have even called for NBC to bring back Curry, who is now executive producer and host of a new docuseries, “We’ll Meet Again,” which will premiere next year on PBS.

In an interview with **People** magazine — previously scheduled to promote her new show — Curry said of Lauer’s sudden departure, “I’m still really processing it,” and declined to comment further.

But she did have something to say about the wave of sexual harassment allegations against prominent figures in Hollywood, Washington and elsewhere, which have led to apologies, resignations and terminations:

“The women’s movement got us into the workplace, but it didn’t make us safe once we got there. And the battle lines are now clear. We need to move this revolution forward and make our workplaces safe. Corporate America is quite clearly failing to do so, and unless it does something to change that, we need to keep doing more ourselves.”

She added, “I admire the women who have been willing to speak up both anonymously and on the record. Those women need to keep their jobs, and all women need to be able to work, to be able to thrive, without fear. This kind of behavior exists across industries, and it is so long overdue for it to stop. This is a moment when we all need to be a beacon of light for those women, for all women, and for ourselves.”

Curry has been a reporter for more than 30 years, including stints with the NBC affiliates in Medford and Portland, Ore., and, from 1984 to 1990, the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, where she received two Emmy Awards. She joined NBC News in 1990, serving as Chicago correspondent and anchor of “NBC News at Sunrise” before becoming news anchor at “Today” in 1997. She also co-anchored and anchored “Dateline NBC” from 2005 to 2007 and was the primary substitute anchor on “NBC Nightly News” from 2005 to 2011.

After leaving “Today,” Curry was a producer and reporter for “NBC Nightly News,” “Dateline NBC,” “Rock Center,” and MSNBC. Her first post-departure appearance with Lauer, during coverage of the 2012 Olympics in London, was described as “tense,” “awkward” and “chilly.” She left the network in 2015.

Curry covered such stories as the Southeast Asian tsunami and the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. She has also filed stories from such places as Sri Lanka, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Albania, Iran and Darfur.

To see a trailer for Curry’s new show, click here.