Though Ann Curry's quick exit from the "Today" show was widely believed to be due to a rift with co-host Matt Lauer, a new story in New York magazine reveals just how wide the rift was.
An NBC staffer told reporter Joe Hagan, "Everybody at NBC, everybody at the Today show, everybody understood that Ann was kicked out of her position because Matt didn't want her there. That's why it was so personal between Ann and Matt."
As for their very apparent lack of chemistry, executive producer Don Nash shares, "You can't fake it for very long that early in the morning. I think viewers have a sixth sense about all that. If your two anchors don't like each other off the air, they're not going to be fooled if they love each other on the air."
Apparently, the two got off on the wrong foot right at the beginning. Hagan wrote, "When she started, Curry had asked Lauer out for lunch to get advice, but Lauer seemed to drag his feet scheduling it and Curry felt he didn't offer much. … with Curry, who threw off his rhythm and also threatened his dominance of the hard-news stories, he could often look sour."
Things got so bad, that the 55-year-old journalist began talks to move to rival network, ABC. The story explained, "By early last year, Lauer seemed to his colleagues to be growing more and more disgruntled. He began getting more involved in the daily story lineup, getting in fights with producers and tearing the show up in the early-morning hours. He made it clear to friends that he was miserable with Curry and uncomfortable with his corporate masters at Comcast."
Then, in June 2012, Anne's sudden ouster occurred and blame was primarily placed on Matt. In an interview with the Daily Beast, he admitted, "It was a hard time for everybody. I don't think the show and the network handled the transition well. You don't have to be Einstein to know that."
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/today-show/curry-today-828417
