“Today” show veteran Ann Curry is reacting to the Matt Lauer news on Wednesday, saying that she’s “still really processing it.”
Curry and Lauer worked together for more than ten years on the show before Curry left in 2015.
“The women’s movement got us into the workplace, but it didn’t make us safe once we got there,” she told People during an already-scheduled interview. “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.”
“I admire the women who have been willing to speak up both anonymously and on the record,” she said of the wave of sexual misconduct allegations that has swept through Hollywood and the news industry in recent months.
“Those women need to keep their jobs, and all women need to be able to work, to be able to thrive, without fear,” she continued. “This kind of behavior exists across industries, and it is so long overdue for it to stop. This is a moment when we all need to be a beacon of light for those women, for all women, and for ourselves.”
Lauer was fired from his position Wednesday as “Today” show host by NBC after complaints of inappropriate sexual behavior were brought to the network.
Curry is currently promoting her new PBS series “We’ll Meet Again,” which she hosts and executive produces. Brian Stelter reported at the time that Curry felt there was a “boys atmosphere” behind the scenes at “Today,” and that top executives at NBC agreed to fire Curry to get Lauer to extend his contract. There is now an online petition advocating for Curry to get her back on the show.