Updated Jan. 17, 2018, 8:00 a.m. PT: Well, we knew Ann Curry‘s first interview in five years was going to be revealing. We just didn’t know how deep she would actually go.
On CBS Good Morning today, Jan. 17, Curry finally opened up about her ouster from NBC in 2012. But what she didn’t seem to want to talk too much about was her former coanchor, Matt Lauer, who was fired from Today in late November over allegations of sexual misconduct.
When asked if Lauer abused his power at the network, Curry skirted around the question, saying she was “trying to do no harm in these conversations.” What she did say, though, was that the allegations against Lauer didn’t surprise her.
“But I can say, because you’re asking me a very direct question, I would be surprised if many women did not understand that there was a climate of verbal harassment that existed,” she said about her time at NBC. “I think it would be surprising if someone said that they didn’t see that. Verbal sexual harassment was pervasive.”
Curry continued, “I don’t know a single woman who has not endured some form of sexual harassment. And many women have endured workplace sexual harassment. It’s happened to me in multiple jobs, and it is a way of sidelining women. And it’s not only bad for the women, it’s bad for the companies and it’s bad for our nation because it’s a limiting of people. And really, ultimately, also we should be talking about the victims. We’re talking about scandal, scandal, scandal. What about the victims? What are we going to do to remove the stigma and the shame? What are we going to do to make sure that these women work and are not sidelined and prevented from contributing to the greater good that we all are trying to do?”
She also spoke about the #MeToo movement in general, saying, “I think [this reckoning] is, in general, overdue. We are clearly waking up to a reality, an injustice, that has been occurring for some time, and I think it will continue to occur until the glass ceiling is finally broken,” she said. “This is about a power imbalance where women are not valued as much as men.… I think the fact that people are speaking out is important and the fact that we are moving against this imbalance of power is absolutely overdue.”
You can watch Curry’s full interview below.
Original story, published Jan. 16, 2018: For the last couple of years, Ann Curry has stayed behind the scenes, working on her own production company after being ousted from Today. But finally, Curry is returning to her spot in front of the camera. According to Vulture, she will give her first on-screen interview since 2015 when she sits down with CBS Good Morning on Wednesday, Jan. 17. And yes, she will be discussing Matt Lauer.
More:Dirty Details of Ann Curry’s Tortuous Last Days on Today
For those who may be fuzzy on the details, Curry and Lauer have a long and tumultuous history. When Meredith Vieira left Today in 2011, Curry was tapped to replace her, stepping into the cohost role alongside Lauer. But rumor had it Lauer was not a fan of Curry. He reportedly organized her ouster, acting standoffish and holier-than-thou when he was with her on-screen, while crew made fun of Curry’s outfit choices and mocked her lack of chemistry with Lauer. This was all a very open secret — no one has ever really admitted to it, but when Curry tearfully announced she was leaving the show in 2012, viewers knew Lauer was to blame.
TOMORROW on @CBSThisMorning: Former "TODAY" co-anchor @AnnCurry will join us for her *first* TV interview since leaving NBC in 2015.
She'll discuss her upcoming @PBS show and we'll also ask her about the #MeToo movement and the firing of her former colleague Matt Lauer. pic.twitter.com/j7JLQsTuze
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) January 16, 2018
More:Al Roker Is on Team Ann Curry
Curry’s departure happened just as Good Morning America took over first place in the morning show ratings, beating Today‘s 16-year streak. As Curry left and Savannah Guthrie took over, Today lost more than a fifth of its viewers. Still, as popular as Curry was, she stayed away from on-screen work in the aftermath of the scandal.
Since Lauer was fired in late November, Curry has spoken out only briefly, telling People magazine that she was “still really processing” the news. She had more to say, however, about her support for the #MeToo movement.
More:Ann Curry & Matt Lauer’s Feud “Was So Personal”
“The battle lines are now clear,” she said. “We need to move this revolution forward and make our workplaces safe.”
No matter what goes down, expect her Wednesday interview to be explosive.
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