Ann Curry Firing Backlash: Matt Lauer 'Miserable' Over Blame
Sources close to NBC's "Today" host Matt Lauer have recently said that the talk show host has reportedly expressed his discontent regarding the public harassment he has received after co-host Ann Curry was nixed from the morning program earlier in 2012.
Lauer is reportedly "freaked out" and "miserable" over the amount of people who yell harassments at him on the street, which include "you're a bad guy," and "you got Ann fired, does that make you happy?" a source told entertainment website TMZ.
"It's driving him crazy. He's so unhappy," another network source told TMZ.
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NBC saw a sufficient amount of drama and drew some public backlash earlier in 2012 when executives dismissed Curry from the "Today" show in June.
Critics later suggested that Curry was asked to leave the "Today" show due to the morning talk show's low ratings in comparison to "Good Morning America."
Curry was succeeded by Savannah Guthrie on the "Today" show, and she went on to report for "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," among other NBC news programs.
Since Curry's incident, rumors of Lauer's departure have begun to circulate as well.
In Nov. 2012, rumors circulated that Lauer may lose his contract with NBC, to be replaced by "Morning Joe" anchor Willie Geist, but those reports were later dismissed by network sources.
"[Lauer] has a lot of pull in terms of who comes in and who doesn't, and there is just no way they would get rid of him," one source close to the network told Fox News.
Additionally, Alexandra Wallace, a new executive overseeing the "Today" show, went on the record with the New York Post in late November to shoot down negative rumors regarding Lauer's contract at the show.
"There is absolutely no truth to this," Wallace said of the rumors.
"There have been some recent outrageous claims regarding Matt and the 'Today' show, and an awful lot of piling on from nameless, faceless sources. These stories are wrong and irresponsible," she added.
