Despite NBC’s plans to remove her from the Today show, host Ann Curry still clocked in as if it was a normal morning.
According to several reports, the network has begun making secret preparations to oust Curry from the morning news show, a year after she joined the program and dedicated her ‘dream job’ to her deceased parents.
“When I heard that this was my job, as I stood up I could feel the last bit of sadness that I’d been carrying around after losing my parents fall to the ground, I could feel their pride, it pushed everything out. I felt like Cinderella, I did. I felt like all these years cleaning the floor, I just felt suddenly I was getting to be in the bright lights and the pretty dress and I was sitting next to the prince.”
Now, that dream job has turned into a nightmare for the host. Reports indicate that NBC’s decision to fire her revolved around the network’s historical rivalry with ABC’s Good Morning America.
Since Curry joined the program, Today has suffered a number of blows from its GMA competitor. Most notably was the event that transpired the week of April 9th, when GMA broke Today’s 16-year winning streak with 5.147 million viewers compared to Today‘s 5.134 million.
Things have not been the same for the network since then, and most of the blame has reportedly been placed on Curry’s on camera performance and her chemistry with co-anchor Matt Lauer.
NBC is now in negotiations with Curry and her lawyer, Robert B. Barnett (who also represented Christiane Amanpour in her exit negotiations from ABC’s This Week) to decide what comes next. There is speculation that she will be returned to her old job as a foreign correspondent, where the network feels she’s a better fit.
Reports say that whatever happens will go down by next month, just before the start of the London Olympics on July 27th, which NBC will be broadcasting.
The network is reportedly attempting to handle the situation delicately to avoid a fiasco like what happened during their breakup with late night TV host Conan O’Brien. So far, they have been successful, as seen in Ann Curry’s professional return to duty this morning.
“Good morning,” Ms. Curry said to begin the broadcast. “From hot to hotter. You thought yesterday was a scorcher? In many places in the East today, it’s going to get even hotter.” Then she wrote “Good morning” to her 1.2 million followers on Twitter.
However, it’s possible things may unravel after producers made an awful gaffe, seen in the photo above, during today’s broadcast. While Curry interviewed Steve Carell on his upcoming movie, Seeking a Friend for the End, “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” appeared under Curry. She’s definitely not going to like that.
