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Ann Curry Didn’t Celebrate Matt Lauer’s Firing, Despite What You May Read On Social Media

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 05:11 PST, Jan 23, 2018

Ann Curry did not celebrate Matt Lauer’s firing from NBC, despite a popular Twitter hashtag that suggests she’s enjoying every minute of the public humiliation her former colleague appears to be enduring.

As Page Six reports, Curry stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Monday to talk about Lauer, sexual harassment in general, and her status as something of a symbol of joy in seeing an alleged sexual harasser squirm.

First and foremost, Curry wants everyone to know that she has not taken any pleasure in Matt being fired or in any of the public crucifixion he’s undergone since getting canned for allegedly sexually harassing female colleagues at NBC. In explaining why, she invoked legalities, religion, and Game of Thrones.

As far as the law is concerned, one thing that has kept Curry somewhat silent about the whole Matt Lauer situation is the dreaded Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). NDAs are common throughout the entertainment industry, and one purpose they serve is keeping high-profile entertainers from saying certain things about their colleagues, their employers (current and previous), and so on. Curry is bound by an NDA, but apparently it’s written in such a way that she could talk about Lauer, if she wanted to.

“I do [have an NDA], but I can talk. I’m bold. I don’t want to cause pain, you guys.”

Beyond words on contracts, however, is a larger matter: Curry’s internal guilt has kept her from rejoicing in Matt’s comeuppance.

“The truth is that I was raised Catholic by a Buddhist. So think about the Catholic guilt, mixed with the karma, worries, the intensity of that. It was like, all of a sudden my brain — think Game of Thrones — the wall, it went up. There was this whole wall of, ‘Uh-uh, you can’t talk like that. You can’t think like that.’ So I didn’t, actually, get to enjoy it.”

What’s more, Curry wants to treat the matter of sexual harassment seriously, and not from a place of joy. To that end, and in support of the victims of sexual harassment, she’s decided to take the high road when it comes to her former co-worker.

“You have to think about the pain [caused by sexual harassment]. You know, a lot of people have suffered. So I haven’t had a chance to celebrate for a lot of reasons.”

Social media, and especially Twitter, would have you thinking that Ann is wallowing in self-congratulation following Matt’s ouster from NBC. The two famously have beef between each other, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is Matt’s role in Ann’s firing from The Today Show in 2012. Ever since the news of Lauer’s firing broke, the Twitter hashtag #SomewhereAnnCurry has blown up, with users suggesting Ann is enjoying the moment.

And while Curry admits she’s gotten a few chuckles out of the hashtag, she says there’s more to be done on sexual harassment.

“We are a long way from fixing the problem. It’s more than a conversation. It’s about action and it’s about not just telling people they can’t do certain things. It’s about changing the dynamic, the power balance within companies so that women are not seen as people who could never rise to the top. Once we figure that out, we might have a chance to figure this out.”

You can watch Ann Curry’s interview with Stephen Colbert here.

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