One of the biggest scandals in morning talk show history — and a big focus of Brian Stelter's 2013 book — was Ann Curry's controversial firing from Today after she served as a cohost for just under a year. According to Stelter and insiders, Curry was ostracized and criticized throughout her short time as cohost and was only ever used as leverage to keep NBC money maker Matt Lauer from leaving Today.
Rumors starting swirling after former cohost Meredith Vieira announced her departure from Today nearly three months before the end of her contract. After Curry unwillingly left the show, it eventually came to light that Lauer was complicit in orchestrating both departures. Lauer's contract was set to expire at the end of 2012, and producers feared Curry becoming a competitor — until Curry was invited to cohost, and Lauer decided that he didn't feel any chemistry. "Ann Curry was a dead woman walking," Stelter wrote in his book. "She was never really given a chance to cohost the show. She was being undermined the whole time."
