Ann Curry Leaving NBC News, Reportedly ‘Unhappy For A Long Time’
Ann Curry is officially leaving NBC News.
Page Six reports that NBC is expected to announce a deal soon, in which Ann Curry will leave the network.
The news comes after weeks of negotiating to end Ann’s contract.
Inside sources reported to Page Six that the 58-year-old former Today show anchor is ready to leave, especially since she has not provided very many reports for NBC News since she was first brought on-board.
“Ann has been unhappy for a long time because she’s basically doing nothing, while NBC is unhappy that she has been paid a lot of money to do nothing.”
Ann Curry’s contract with NBC was reportedly worth up to $12 million annually.
Curry made headlines with her emotional farewell to the Today show back in June 2012. That farewell almost immediately generated negative reactions and responses from fans and critics of the long-running broadcast.
There were also quite a few reports that pointed the finger of blame in the direction of Today show co-host Matt Lauer when it came to how Ann Curry was being treated by the show.
A prominent NBC staffer reportedly opened up to Joe Hagan with New York magazine about what was allegedly going on behind the scenes.
“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.”
Ann Curry was chosen to take the place of Meredith Vieira as Today show co-anchor in June 2011 after Vieira left the show to spend more time at home with her sick husband.
Due to their obvious lack of chemistry, however, Lauer was reportedly “fed up” with Ann Curry within just a few months after Vieira’s departure to the point “that he was ready to bolt out the door.”
In addition to becoming a national & international correspondent for NBC News, Ann Curry was also able to technically stay on-board with the Today show as an anchor-at-large.
Page Six further reports that the negotiations for Ann Curry’s contract this time around “have been more careful and protracted.”
The University of Oregon graduate is expected to announce the formation of her own production company in the near future, which will offer documentaries and reports to multiple news outlets — including NBC.
A senior NBC News executive confirmed the departure of Ann Curry on Tuesday, according to Page Six.
[Image Credit: Huffington Post]
