Ann Curry has reportedly been fired from her job as co-anchor on the Today Show, just a year after her contract began. The news of her departure broke yesterday and many expected that she would be absent from this morning's episode of the show. However, a defiant Curry appeared on the sofa once more, alongside Matt Lauer and Al Roker as well as Natalie Morales, who is expected to be one of her possible replacements.
According to the Daily Mail, several people at NBC, who air the show, have blamed Curry for its drop in ratings. The show had been enjoying a long-standing triumph over Good Morning America but that ended in April and there has been little difference between the two, as they battle neck and neck in the viewer ratings. During the week of May 21, 2012, Good Morning America attracted 33,000 more viewers than Curry's show. It is thought that Ann will be absent from the Today Show sofa before coverage of the Olympics begins on July 27, 2012.
Several people have leapt to Ann's defence. CNN interviewer Piers Morgan tweeted during this morning's show "To know just how professional AnnCurry is, she's been faultless co-hosting todayshow this morning. Despite all the pressure. ClassAct." Her professionalism has continued off air, as she has resisted the urge to respond to her Twitter followers, opting instead to keep her professional life private. It's thought that she may return to a role similar to her previous job as news anchor, possibly working as a foreign correspondent.