14 DAY TRIAL // It’s been many months that Ann Curry was fired from The Today Show after just one year on the job, and Matt Lauer is still getting the blame for it. However, he’s decided to go the extra mile to mend his public image, it has emerged.
The other day, word got out online that Lauer was having a very difficult time right now because people would constantly yell nasty things at him on the streets of Manhattan.
AceShowbiz confirms that, saying that Lauer has even decided to publicly reconcile with Curry just to get upset viewers off his back.
The e-zine sources this story to gossip blogger Perez Hilton, so it’s probably best taken with a grain of salt.
“To rebuild his image, Lauer is reportedly up for a public lunch with Curry. Perez Hilton says NBC hopes the reconciliation will mend his persona and consequently help boost the show's ratings,” AceShowbiz reports.
It also cites an older statement from Jim Bell, executive producer on The Today Show, who said that blaming Lauer for Curry’s departure is ridiculous because he did not have a say in who went and who stayed.
“[Lauer] is the host and does not have management responsibility. It was not his call. That was my call,” he said, denying talk that Lauer forced producers’ hand into firing Ann because he “didn't like working with her.”
As we also reported the other day, word has it that Lauer is often heckled whenever he’s out and about town, with people yelling all sorts of nasty things in his direction, mostly about how he was so uptight and mean as to have Ann fired.
Fans of The Today Show must know that Curry’s departure was quite an unexpected blow – not even Curry herself saw it coming, as it was clear from her emotional announcement on the show.