It's common knowledge that the entertainment business is a cutthroat affair that makes no attempt to spare the feelings of those who work in it. Fair enough. Recent revelations in a forthcoming book, however, show that executives at the Today's show may have raised that callousness to a completely different level.
The New York Times dropped the news this week via an excerpt from an upcoming book by Times reporter Brain Stelter. The book, "Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV," investigates the brutal politics at play behind all of those cheery faces we see each morning. Politics that apparently terrorized former Today's show co-host Ann Curry, among others.
"Curry felt that the boys' club atmosphere behind the scenes at 'Today' undermined her from the start, and she told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture. The growing indifference of Matt Lauer, her co-host, had hurt the most, but there was also just a general meanness on set," says Stelter.
It was that "general meanness" that would eventually lead to Curry's sudden firing, the book claims. Executive producer of the show Jim Bell is alleged to have set out a detailed plan to oust Curry, calling the scheme "Operation Bambi." Curry certainly did not seem on board with how everything played out, noting that she felt like she was watching her own wake during her goodbye episode. Stelter continues:
"Many executives at the network never grasped how profoundly hurt and humiliated Curry remained ... she told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture. The growing indifference of [Lauer] had hurt the most, but there was also just a general meanness on set. At one point, the executive producer, Jim Bell, commissioned a blooper reel of Curry's worst on-air mistakes ... One staff person recalled that "a lot of time in the control room was spent making fun of Ann's outfit choices or just generally messing with her."
The book also details how Curry got to her position in the first place. Apparently when Curry took over as news reader for Matt Lauer in 1997, she put herself in position to fill in for Couric whenever she was not available. Couric didn't appreciate this go-getterism, but eventually got Curry a very high role in the organization. After being passed over for the co-host role in favor of Meredith Viera, Curry structured her contract so that she could opt out if she was passed over again. Fearing too much change at once, NBC executives promoted Curry once Viera retired.
It appears to have been a marriage that was doomed from the start, as Curry wriggled her way into a position that was controlled by toxic, unprofessional players. An apparent lack of "chemistry" with co-host Matt Lauer sealed the deal.
"I can't believe I'm sitting next to this woman," Lauer is reported to have said.