Ann Curry Says She’s ‘Still Processing’ Matt Lauer Firing

Ann Curry speaks onstage at the Worldwide Orphans Gala on November 18, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Worldwide Orphans)

Ann Curry, the former “Today” host, said that she’s “still processing” the firing of her former colleague, Matt Lauer, on Wednesday.

Curry told People magazine that she has admiration for the women who spoke out about harassment in the workplace.

“I’m still really processing it,” Curry said of Lauer, but according to People magazine, she declined to elaborate further.

Lauer, 59, was terminated by NBC News after allegations surfaced of “inappropriate sexual behavior.”

“Those women need to keep their jobs, and all women need to be able to work, to be able to thrive, without fear. This kind of behavior exists across industries, and it is so long overdue for it to stop,” Curry told People. “This is a moment when we all need to be a beacon of light for those women, for all women, and for ourselves.”

Curry was fired from her “Today” position about one year after she was hired. There have been reports saying that Lauer called for her ouster.

“The women’s movement got us into the workplace, but it didn’t make us safe once we got there,” Curry added on Wednesday. “And the battle lines are now clear. We need to move this revolution forward and make our workplaces safe. Corporate America is quite clearly failing to do so, and unless it does something to change that, we need to keep doing more ourselves.”

As reported by NBC, there was a “detailed complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior” against Lauer during the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack wrote in a memo to staff that the company’s “highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender.”

His termination sent shockwaves through U.S. morning television, where Lauer has been a fixture since becoming a “Today” anchor in 1997, going on to reportedly earn at least $20 million a year.

The married 59-year-old news star is the latest in a fast-growing list of public figures to be embroiled in allegations of sexual misconduct that have recently struck down high-profile men in entertainment, politics, and media.

Just hours later, U.S. radio host Garrison Keillor said he had been fired by Minnesota Public Radio over an accusation of inappropriate behavior, noted Reuters.

The news was announced by “Today” co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb at the start of the talk show, a staple of U.S. morning television for more than six decades that, NBC says, averages more than 4 million viewers.

“We just learned this moments ago just this morning,” Guthrie said, visibly shaken. “As I‘m sure you can imagine we are devastated.”

Lack’s statement did not say who made the accusation, but promised that NBC News would cover Lauer’s firing in “as transparent a manner as we can.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

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