Matt Lauer "disappointed by the laziness of the media" over Ann Curry "Today" ouster
More than 14 months after Ann Curryleft NBC's "Today," Matt Lauer is still speaking out over the exit of his former co-anchor.
In a recent interview with Esquire, Lauer heavily criticized press reports covering Curry's departure.
"The way the media treated what happened with Ann Curry was a disappointing learning experience," Lauer told the magazine. "I was disappointed by the laziness of the media, the willingness to read a rumor, repeat the rumor, and treat it as a fact."
Lauer didn't go in to specifics exactly over what "rumors" where reported at the time of Curry's forced exodus from the morning news program.
Curry, 56, had been with NBC News for more than 20 years when she replaced Meredith Vieira as Lauer's co-anchor in 2011.
One year later, NBC executives removed Curry from the anchor chair, citing ratings losses to ABC's "Good Morning America." There was also speculation that Lauer had a hand in Curry's ousting. She was replaced by Savannah Guthrie, who remains in that position to this day.
NBC and Lauer faced a stiff backlash from viewers over the Curry shake-up, with Facebook pages created in protest of the move.
In the Esquire interview, Lauer said he felt like he couldn't complain over the way he was being portrayed.
"What were my options? Does anyone want to see a person who's making the money that the newspapers say I'm making complaining, 'Woe is me, my life is terrible, and people are being unfair?' No one would've had any patience for that. I wouldn't have any patience for that. So you just shut up and go about doing your job and hope that people who know you well -- your friends and family -- know what's true."
You can read more of Lauer's Esquire interview here.
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