Ann Curry joined the cast of "Today" back in 1997 as a newscaster. Fourteen years later, she became a full-time co-anchor, filling the spot left open by Meredith Vieira's departure. "You've come to know and love Ann Curry for 14 years as 'Today's' newscaster," Matt Lauer told viewers on her first day. "Now she's heading to the anchor desk, as we begin an exciting new era." Curry grinned, "I really feel like Cinderella. Ann Curry, aka Cinderella."
Unfortunately, despite her many years of service at NBC, Curry's tenure behind the "Today" desk was short-lived. In 2012, she teared up as she told the audience it would be her final day as anchor. "This is not as I expected, to ever leave this couch after fifteen years, but I am so grateful," she said. A staffer told New York Magazine that she was squeezed out of the show because Lauer didn't like her. "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," they revealed.
Years later, Curry finally spoke about the situation. "It hurt like hell," she told People in 2018. Thankfully, despite all the behind-the-scenes drama that followed, Curry treated her firing as a learning experience. "I'm smarter. I'm happier, as happy as I've ever been," she said. "And my compassion has only grown."
