Ann Curry is opening up about the pain of leaving the Today show, how she bounced back, and her emotional new TV series. Subscribe now for the EXCLUSIVE interview — only in PEOPLE!
Five years after leaving the Today show, Ann Curry is revealing how she made it through dark times — and her life away from the morning grind.
Sitting down exclusively with PEOPLE for this week’s issue (on stands Friday), the anchor opens up for the first time about her exit from the NBC morning show in 2012, an ordeal that came complete with gossip-column speculation that her firing had been due in part to a lack of “chemistry” with her co-anchor Matt Lauer. (Lauer, 60, was fired in November for alleged sexual misconduct.)
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Ann Curry
After her tearful farewell on June 28, 2012 — “I’m sorry I couldn’t carry the ball over the finish line, but, man, I did try!” she said at the time — Curry, 61, who has won seven Emmys, interviewed world leaders, covered natural disasters and reported from war zones, was suddenly adrift.
“It hurt like hell,” she says. “It hurt so much, but I learned a lot about myself. I can say I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve been honest and true. I’ve tried to stay pure. I’ve tried to not respond in a knee-jerk manner, and I’ve stayed very close to who I am. So it hurt, but I’m also proud of myself.”
Ann Curry and Matt Lauer Peter Kramer/NBC/Getty
For much more on Ann Curry, including her thoughts on the Matt Lauer scandal and the #MeToo movement, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday
Curry — who began as an intern at an Oregon NBC affiliate and worked her way up to Today‘s couch, earning a reputation for being earnest and empathetic — stayed remarkably mum after her co-hosting gig with Lauer ended after barely a year.
“Experience has taught me, as a journalist, the No. 1 thing you have to be is humble,” she says. “It’s not about you.”
And the mother of two, who returns to TV on Jan. 23 with the new six-part PBS docuseries We’ll Meet Again, isn’t fueled by bitterness toward her former bosses.
Ann Curry Victoria Will
“I’m not going to say it wasn’t hard,” she says of coping with lingering resentments. “But I had to let go. And I learned that when you not only let go but open your arms wide and learn the lessons that an experience — no matter how bad — can teach you, that’s when you rise.”
“I can say today I’m stronger now,” she says. “I’m smarter. I’m happier, as happy as I’ve ever been. And my compassion has only grown. When you go through the pain and learn the lessons, you will be changed for the better.”
Former "Today" anchor and NBC News correspondent Ann Curry spoke out Wednesday morning about her former co-host Matt Lauer, who was abruptly fired last year following alleged inappropriate sexual behavior.
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In an interview on "CBS This Morning," Curry fielded a handful of very pointed questions. She said she did not want to "do harm" or cause more pain, but she did address the atmosphere at NBC News she said she experienced while working there.
"I can tell you that I am not surprised by the allegations," she said of Lauer. "I can [also] say that I would be surprised if many 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. It was verbal sexual harassment."
Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire via Getty Images, FILE
.@AnnCurry says she is “not surprised” about the allegations against former “TODAY” co-host Matt Lauer. #AnnCurryThisMorning pic.twitter.com/2nPl3By1tS — CBS This Morning ?? (@CBSThisMorning) January 17, 2018
.@AnnCurry: "We clearly are waking up to a reality and injustice that has been occurring for sometime. I think it will continue to occur until the glass ceiling is finally broken.” #AnnCurryThisMorning pic.twitter.com/naZeguVyNP — CBS This Morning ?? (@CBSThisMorning) January 17, 2018
Curry added that the movement that is taking place is overdue and has been a long time coming.
"We clearly are waking up to a reality and injustice that's occurred for some time," she said. "This is about power and power imbalance where women are not valued as much as men."
The interview on "CBS This Morning" comes a day after the appearance was teased on Twitter.
"TOMORROW on @CBSThisMorning: Former 'TODAY' co-anchor @AnnCurry will join us for her *first* TV interview since leaving NBC in 2015," the tweet read. "She'll discuss her upcoming @PBS show and we'll also ask her about the #MeToo movement and the firing of her former colleague Matt Lauer."
TOMORROW on @CBSThisMorning: Former "TODAY" co-anchor @AnnCurry will join us for her *first* TV interview since leaving NBC in 2015. She'll discuss her upcoming @PBS show and we'll also ask her about the #MeToo movement and the firing of her former colleague Matt Lauer. pic.twitter.com/j7JLQsTuze — CBS This Morning ?? (@CBSThisMorning) January 16, 2018
Curry left "Today" in 2012 after a year as a co-anchor and 15 years with the show. She eventually left NBC News a few years later and is currently promoting her PBS docuseries, "We'll Meet Again."
When Lauer's termination from NBC News was announced in November, Curry wouldn't speak specifically to Lauer, but did tell People magazine, "I'm still really processing it," adding more generally that "we need to move this revolution forward and make our workplaces safe."
She also offered support to all women who have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.
"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," she said. "This is a moment when we all need to be a beacon of light for those women, for all women and for ourselves."
Lauer, 60, was fired late last year after the network received "a detailed complaint from a colleague" involving "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer."
Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News. On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment. pic.twitter.com/1A3UAZpvPb — TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 29, 2017
As more stories of harassment allegedly involving Lauer began to circulate, he spoke out later in November, saying, "There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this, I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC."
He continued, "Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly. Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul-searching, and I'm committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job."
ABC News' Lesley Messer contributed to this report.
Ann Curry says she survived after being ousted from NBC’s “Today” by staying humble and true to herself.
“It hurt like hell,” the 61-year-old former “Today” co-anchor and NBC News veteran told People in an interview. “It hurt so much, but I learned a lot about myself. I can say I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve been honest and true. I’ve tried to stay pure. I’ve tried to not respond in a knee-jerk manner, and I’ve stayed very close to who I am. So it hurt, but I’m also proud of myself.”
Curry left NBC three years after being pushed from NBC’s “Today” morning franchise after a year as co-anchor. Her awkward on-air departure from the program – NBC executives believed she and Lauer lacked on-screen chemistry – is believed to have been in a factor in the rise of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” which eventually surpassed “Today” to become the nation’s most-watched morning program. Matt Lauer, Curry’s co-host at the time, was fired from NBC in late November, with the network citing “inappropriate” behavior in the workplace. He is one of a number of prominent media executives to lose their position in the wake of a surge of interest in sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.
“I’m not going to say it wasn’t hard,” she said of leaving NBC and “Today.” “But I had to let go. And I learned that when you not only let go but open your arms wide and learn the lessons that an experience — no matter how bad — can teach you, that’s when you rise.”
“I can say today I’m stronger now,” she added in the People interview. “I’m smarter. I’m happier, as happy as I’ve ever been. And my compassion has only grown. When you go through the pain and learn the lessons, you will be changed for the better.”
Curry is returning to TV with a six-part PBS documentary series, “We’ll Meet Again,” which looks at individuals searching for people who changed their lives.
“I’ve always thought of journalism as a service profession,” she told People. “I’m in it to give, not to get. This show lets me explore people’s beautiful wishes to reconnect with the people who helped them survive.”
Ann Curry is coming back to television.
"CBS This Morning" has landed an interview to be broadcast Wednesday with the former co-anchor of NBC's "Today," the network announced Tuesday.
CBS will ask Curry about the #MeToo movement, the firing of former coworker Matt Lauer and her upcoming PBS docuseries, "We'll Meet Again."
Curry left NBC in 2015, three years after she was abruptly ousted from her yearlong tenure as a "Today" anchor. This is her first TV interview since leaving the network, according to CBS.
TOMORROW on @CBSThisMorning: Former "TODAY" co-anchor @AnnCurry will join us for her *first* TV interview since leaving NBC in 2015.
She'll discuss her upcoming @PBS show and we'll also ask her about the #MeToo movement and the firing of her former colleague Matt Lauer. pic.twitter.com/j7JLQsTuze — CBS This Morning ❄️ (@CBSThisMorning) January 16, 2018
Many observers have long believed that Lauer was involved with the decision to remove Curry from "Today." In his 2013 book, "Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV," CNN's Brian Stelter detailed an effort within NBC to force Curry off the show. Lauer was said to dislike working with Curry, and made that known while he was negotiating his new contract, according to the book.
NBC executives felt that Lauer and Curry lacked chemistry and decided to replace her with Savannah Guthrie, once Lauer renewed his contract. NBC tried to bill this change as a promotion for Curry -- calling her a "global anchor" -- but viewers saw right through it.
Her awkward departure from "Today" caused many fans to change the channel, doing damage to the show that took years to recover from.
Lauer, meanwhile, was fired from NBC late last year after an employee filed a complaint about "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace." Variety and the New York Times also published articles about allegations against Lauer.
Lauer said that he was "embarrassed and ashamed," but also that some of the allegations were "untrue or mischaracterized."
Related: Ann Curry fans see karma in Matt Lauer's firing
Curry told People at the time that she was "still really processing" the Lauer news. She added that "the women's movement got us into the workplace, but it didn't make us safe once we got there."
Curry's PBS series, which reunites people who experienced historic, harrowing events together, premieres January 23.
--CNN's Lisa France and Brian Stelter contributed to this story.
