What Happened To Ann Curry After Her Controversial Today Show Exit?

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The following article contains allegations of sexual assault.

After joining NBC News in 1990, Ann Curry's career with the network was one of success and ascendance. Initially a correspondent based in Chicago, she was soon tapped to be anchor of the national morning broadcast, "NBC News at Sunrise," airing prior to "Today." Beginning in 1997, Curry was upgraded to reporter and news anchor for "Today," while also serving as host of "Dateline" (a job she held from 2005 until 2011).

In 2011, Curry was bumped up to co-anchor of "Today," replacing predecessor Meredith Vieira in a promotion that recognized her talent and all the hard work she'd put in. "It's a deeper pressure and a brighter spotlight," Curry told Variety of her new role, also sharing her lofty goal. "I want to do journalism of meaning, but at the same time do television that blows people's minds."

Sadly, what should have been a triumph became her swan song. Less than a year later, Curry exited "Today" amid somewhat murky circumstances. "I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball over the finish line," she tearfully told viewers — one of the most awkward live "Today" show moments of all time — during her final episode as anchor (via The Hollywood Reporter). A few years later, in 2015, she left NBC News entirely and has kept a relatively low profile since then. To learn more about her time away from the spotlight, keep reading to discover the real reason you don't hear from the journalist anymore.

While Ann Curry was a beloved replacement on "Today," behind-the-scenes drama is reportedly to blame for her being fired from the program. According to Brian Stelter's exposé, "Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV," Curry was allegedly run out by executive producer Jim Bell via "Operation Bambi," his three-part plan to: "1.) persuade [Matt] Lauer to extend his expiring contract; 2.) oust Curry; 3.) replace her with Savannah Guthrie." Stelter also claimed Bell fostered a "boy's club" atmosphere behind-the-scenes of "Today," which served to widen the existing personal and professional gulf between Curry and Lauer.

The plan apparently worked, and Curry tearfully bid the show farewell. "They're giving me some fancy new titles," she said during her final "Today" episode. "We're going to do great work, I hope, and we're being given the chance to do the work that most of us got into journalism to do." 

Many believed her emotions during the announcement betrayed her true feelings, which Stelter described in The New York Times as "sad" and "enraged." With that kind of bad taste in her mouth after decades of good work in broadcast journalism, it's no wonder Curry decided to step back and reevaluate her pursuits.

Ann Curry saw the shady side of the "Today" show firsthand. Since her exit from the show, it's been rumored that it was that for reason co-host Matt Lauer pulled the strings behind her ouster. Then, a revelation that Curry shared after his 2017 firing raised questions about the timeline of events.

Interviewed by The Washington Post in 2018, Curry revealed that back in 2012 — prior to her "Today" exit — a female staffer had come to her in tears, uncertain of what to do after claiming that Lauer had sexually harassed her in a physical manner. "She was afraid of losing her job ... I believed her," Curry told the publication. "I told management they had a problem and they needed to keep an eye on him and how he deals with women."

How Curry really feels about Lauer is something she's kept relatively close to the vest. One likely reason why Curry hasn't said more is that, upon her exit from "Today," she was made to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Not surprisingly, she decided to tread lightly when addressing the Lauer situation during an appearance on "CBS This Morning." "I can tell you that I'm not surprised by the allegations," she said (via USA Today). "But I can say ... I would be surprised if many people, or women, did not understand that there was a climate of verbal harassment that existed. I think it would be surprising if someone said they didn't see that."

Given what is now known about the sketchy double life of Matt Lauer and his allegedly lewd backstage behavior, the idea that Ann Curry would distance herself from him doesn't seem all that strange. But in January 2017, Lauer was still big man on campus at "Today" and celebrating 20 years as co-anchor. There were multiple celebrations in his honor, including on-air festivities and a fancy dinner at New York's swanky Hunt & Fish Club.

Almost all of Lauer's female co-anchors celebrated with him. Savannah Guthrie took a break from her maternity leave to pop in on the show and attend the dinner. Meredith Vieira also showed up to the dinner, and Katie Couric — who's relationship with Curry has been a point of conjecture — appeared on the show for the big anniversary. Noticeably absent from everything? Curry.

It's not surprising that Curry wasn't jonesing to get back in a room with Lauer, considering their icy work history, and there could be a very good reason for why she wasn't available. That said, such a reason was never made public, leaving the undeniable perception that on its face, Curry snubbing Lauer's 20th "Today" anniversary seems like a pretty sick burn.

Less than a year after Matt Lauer celebrated his 20th anniversary with "Today," he spectacularly fell from grace when an NBC News staffer alleged Lauer sexually harassed her. He initially declared his innocence, but once an investigation launched by NBC brass began digging around, Lauer was summarily fired. The fact that he was terminated for cause, and received no monetary settlement whatsoever, spoke volumes.

While there were those in the media who wrote that Ann Curry would certainly be celebrating his ouster, she was among those who realized Lauer's downfall is so disturbing. "I wish I could say that I was celebrating," she told People in response to those who felt she would be popping a bottle of champagne to celebrate Lauer's exit. "But actually I immediately checked myself," she added. "Because I knew women had suffered."

In fact, Curry expressed "outrage" over the fact that Lauer's alleged behavior was tolerated for as long as it was. She also insisted that she wasn't seeking retribution and took no joy in what had happened to her one-time co-anchor. "I'm not a vengeful person," she added. "I know what it's like to be humiliated. I just don't want to play a part in anyone else's humiliation."

Two years after Matt Lauer's unceremonious firing in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations, his reputation took an even bigger hit when former "Today" staffer Brooke Nevils' shocking accusations about Lauer were detailed in journalist Ron Farrow's 2019 book, "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators." Nevils told Farrow that Lauer sexually assaulted her in 2014, resulting in her being paid off with a seven-figure settlement.

Lauer refuted Nevils' claims, insisting the encounter was consensual, not forced. "The story Brooke tells is filled with false details intended only to create the impression this was an abusive encounter," he said in a statement (via CNN), detailing the various sex acts he claimed they engaged in while denying her claims that he raped her. According to Lauer, Nevils had been "a fully enthusiastic and willing partner."

Ann Curry addressed the differing accounts provided by Lauer and Nevils when she took to social media to reveal that she wholeheartedly supported Nevils. "Brooke Nevils is a credible young woman of good character," she tweeted, further describing Nevils as an "eager and guile-less 20-something" when she first arrived at NBC News. "I believe she is telling the truth. And that breaks my heart."

When interviewed by Variety, Ann Curry was asked if she would ever consider going back to morning television. She offered a blunt assessment of a job that required her to wake up long before the sun rose. "I don't miss the hours," she admitted. "I now recognize how much sleep I was missing."

After her exit from "Today," the mother of two was able to embrace a sleep schedule that was far less harsh. "I usually wake up around 7ish, which is much later than I used to," she told The Cut, noting that being away from the grind of churning out live television five days a week had significantly improved her work-life balance. That included getting regular exercise, one facet of her life that was lacking when she was anchoring "Today." "I work out now every day — I didn't used to get to do that," she said.

Her mornings, she added, became a lot slower, allowing her to read newspapers and even listen to some NPR if her schedule allowed it. The one thing she didn't do, however, was watch any morning television — including "Today." "I used to," she said, "but I stopped."

Ann Curry lost both of her parents to cancer two years apart in the mid 2000s, and she has since taken time out of her schedule to speak publicly about her experience as her parents' caretaker in the final years of their lives.

Speaking at a February 2017 fundraiser for Tidewell Hospice in Sarasota, Florida, Curry compared her experience caring for her ailing parents to her long journalism career. "As a journalist, you can see a great deal, unfortunately, of human suffering and you wish that the world would move away from it," she said (via Herald-Tribune). "And as a caregiver, as somebody who has tried to help your parents suffer less from cancer, you also want to end their suffering. But there's a limit to what you can do. So what you have to do is love them more."

In 2012, Curry was instrumental in getting the "Today" show recognized by the National Hospice Foundation, so she's clearly made this cause a priority in her life.

During her keynote address at the 2017 Festival of Faiths, Curry laid out what seemed to be the overarching philosophy of her entire life. Recounting decades of covering tragic conflicts all over the world, Curry spoke about how her work in journalism has inspired her to investigate the science behind the seemingly evil acts of humans. This study of the psychology and motivations behind horrors such as genocide, the recruitment of child soldiers, and the crisis of refugees displaced by war has, in turn, led Curry to believe that the pursuit of compassion is the key to combating the darkness. It's heavy stuff, for sure, but not an entirely surprising position for a veteran international journalist to take, considering the alternative is abject depression about the state of the world.

The point is: Curry seems to be on a mission to evoke compassion in her life and through her work, and if there's one thing TV ratings don't necessarily care about, it's compassion. Saddled with the age old motto, "If it bleeds it leads," TV news can be ice cold, so it's not a shock that Curry has distanced herself.

In the closing statement of her address at the festival, Curry said, "I hope your compassion, in all of your days to come, let's you breath deeper, be happier, live longer. I hope we all live long enough to see the next step up in humanity's rise, but even if I don't, I know it's going to happen. I hope, I hope, don't you?" That does not sound like the sentiment of a person looking to jump back into the frenzied, often vulgar world of the 24/7 news cycle.

Ann Curry returned to the air in 2018 with an original six-part series for PBS called "We'll Meet Again." "The series brings together people whose lives intersected at pivotal moments," the public broadcaster's press release described the show's premise. "Exploring some of history's most dramatic events from across the globe through the personal stories of those who experienced them." 

Speaking to the Television Critics Association (via USA Today), Curry said "We'll Meet Again" accomplished her goal of focusing on impactful stories. "It's been fun to be independent, because then you can really focus on what you want to do," she expressed, hinting at her previous tenure at a major network. "I'm trying to do stories that I think are needed now, and that's actually been lovely."

The series was renewed for a second season, with an additional six episodes produced. Curry told KLCS she found the process of focusing on what took place after earth-shaking, pivotal events to be revelatory — particularly for a journalist who was typically on the scene while a story was unfolding, and not necessarily focusing on the aftermath. "It resonated with me because it would allow me then, to essentially tell the rest of the story," she explained.

During the years she remained at NBC News following her brief tenure at "Today," Ann Curry was among the highest-paid journalists in America, with a salary reported to be $12 million per year. And while that's a pretty substantial sum of money, Curry has insisted that financial gain has never been a driving force in her career. "When your motivation is to make money, you are going to make decisions that are not good for journalism," Curry said on ABC News' "No Limits with Rebecca Jarvis." "A motivation that is impure affects what stories you do, what questions you ask, how it's edited together, potentially how it's written, how it was broadcast, who you choose to anchor it ... all those motivations are not great motivations for journalism."

That ethos was evident in one of her first major post-"Today" efforts, "Chasing the Cure," a series for the TNT network that documented people with rare illnesses getting the medical help they need. The goal of that series was a lofty one; to help educate those who are being underserved by the American system and demonstrating how they can connect directly with physicians who can help.

In Curry's view, the mission of a journalist isn't just to report the news, but to provide a voice to the voiceless and highlight injustice. "That is our job, she explained. "We're supposed to shine light in places of darkness."

In 2019, Ann Curry appeared on the PBS series, "Finding Your Roots with Henry William Gates Jr.," in which the titular host is joined by various celebrities to explore their respective family trees. Interestingly, at that time, Curry had recently hosted the similarly themed PBS series "We'll Meet Again," which found her helping those who lived through extraordinary historical events reconnect with people who played a key role in their lives.

"PBS called me and asked me if I would do it," Curry said of her involvement in "Finding Your Roots" while appearing at the Television Critics Association press tour, as reported by The Oregonian. "I said yes, because of my family mystery." That mystery, she explained, involved her late father, Bob Curry, who had spent his entire life without knowing who his father was. Ann herself had used her journalistic skills to try to find out, but was unable to find a paper trail that would lead her to an answer.

Gates and his team of genealogical experts sprang into motion, and he was able to tell her the name of her grandfather. That big reveal made for a powerful television moment. "I got so emotional when I found out," Ann admitted, "to get that information that he had pined for all his life."

By 2020, Ann Curry's ouster from "Today" was far in the rearview mirror. However, as she confessed in a candid interview with Elle, the eight years that had passed had not lessened the sting she still felt from that painful situation. "The bottom line is that it still hurts," she told the magazine. "It honestly hurts really deeply, because I really think I did nothing wrong."

Looking back on what happened, she remained confused by the series of events that led NBC to not pick up her contract for a second year at "Today," effectively firing her. "I still don't really understand," she mused. "I know I was good at my job."

When asked if she felt her expulsion from "Today" was connected with her warning superiors about Matt Lauer's predatory behavior toward female staffers, she offered a response that was simultaneously cryptic and telling. "I think that many people have guessed why [I was replaced], but I've held myself back," she said, explaining that she tried to get to the bottom of what happened and why, but had never received a satisfactory answer. "If I had known what was happening in the back rooms of power, then I would know," she said. "I obviously was not in those rooms."

In 2022, Ann Curry's career in journalism was recognized when she was chosen to receive a prestigious award from Washington State University. That year, she was selected to be that year's recipient of the Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the university's Edward R. Murrow College of Communication.

"I can't tell you how deeply touching this is," Curry gushed during her speech after being presented with the honor, as reported by WSU Insider. "This award is so prestigious precisely because it is named for a journalist with high ideals," she said, citing the award's namesake, legendary CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow.

In her speech, Curry also reiterated her commitment to be an advocate for the powerless, using her position as a journalist to do good in the world. "My deepest wish was to be in a position to have a voice, that I could have the power to help other people who suffer and who have little or no voice," she added.

PBS launched "Arts Talk" in 2023, a new series devoted to discussions with artists. Episodes included talk show host Jimmy Kimmel chatting with actor Henry Winkler, musicians Rhiannon Giddens and Elvis Costello sharing stories, and Ann Curry interviewing bestselling journalist and novelist Min Jin Lee.

Lee, the Korean-born author of "Free Food for Millionaires" and "Pachinko," opened up to Curry about the deeply personal attachment she has with the subject matter of her books. Curry demonstrated her skill at conducting probing interviews when she delved into the author's difficult past, asking Lee, "All this pain that you experienced, is it what made you a writer?" 

It shouldn't be surprising that Curry continued her the involvement with PBS — that she began with "We'll Meet Again" — given her admiration for the public broadcaster. "I think PBS does quality work," Curry told KLCS. "So it's hard not to be involved in PBS projects if you want to do quality work."

In April 2024, Ann Curry was presented with yet another honor, this time given the Damon Runyon Award by the Denver Press Club. This award, she said during her acceptance speech, was personally quite meaningful to her, given that her father was born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado.

Curry's speech was also something of a rallying cry for the importance of journalism in an era of outright attacks on the free press. "I have come to think that access to verifiable, unvarnished facts is critical to all people no matter what kind of government they live under," she said, as reported by The Denver Gazette.

Her speech hit home with Marianne Goodland, a political reporter in Colorado and the then-president of the Denver Press Club. "Ann Curry's speech on the value of journalism in our rapidly evolving landscape was inspiring," Goodland declared, "and a welcome reminder of the importance of a free press."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).