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Ann Curry confessed to USAToday that she will be announcing her departure on the Today Show on Thursday. In her interview Curry says she is not fully to flame for the ratings (Good Morning America past the Today Show in the ratings a few times), but was hurt over all the rumors about her departure. She will stay with NBC, but she did want more time on the Today Show.
Curry told USAToday,
“I’m going to have to tell our viewers. That’s what makes me more emotional than anything. I don’t want to leave them. I love them. And I will really miss them.”
Curry was upset over the leaks regarding her job,
“I don’t know who has been behind the leaks, but no question they’ve hurt deeply,” she says. She admits she would have liked more time to work things out as co-host, and she bristles a bit at the suggestion that she lacked “chemistry” with co-host Matt Lauer.
“You know, Matt and I have had great on-air chemistry for 14 years, been part of the No. 1 winning team for a history-making number of years,” she says. “That said, I just finished my freshman year as co-host. In every single co-host’s first year, there have been kinks to be worked out, and perhaps I deserve as much blame for that as anyone.”
Does she think she was given enough time to work out those kinks? “No, I do not,” she says flatly.
Would she have liked more time? “Oh, sure I would have,” she says.
Curry says she is not solely to blame for the ratings,
“I know I am not to blame for the ratings worries,” Curry says. “And my bosses have said to me there are many factors involved. There is no doubt that the rating wars have become meaner and less focused on our responsibilities as journalists,” though she says some at Today do “brilliant work.”
“And the show is still No. 1 in terms of ratings,” she quickly adds.
Curry will be sad to leave her co-host job,
“I have called the co-host job at the Today Show my dream job, and I would be lying if I said it was easy to leave that job.”
Curry will no lead a seven person unit to cover bigger stories, including international news. She will also produce specials and pieces for NBC Nightly News, Dateline,Rock Center— and Today. You may also spot her occasionally filling in as anchor on the Nightly News.
Update: Curry’s Today show farewell,
“This is not how I expected to leave this couch after 15 years, but I am so grateful. After all of these years, I don’t even know if I can sleep in anymore. I’m not even sure that I can. But I know that whatever time I wake up, I’ll be missing you,” she said. For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I’m sorry I couldn’t carry the ball to the finish line, but man I did try.”
Photo from NBC
