Ann Curry is parting ways with NBC after 25 years with the network, but the former "Today" show anchor will still be backed by NBCUniversal in a new startup venture.
"Ann has been unhappy for a long time because she’s basically doing nothing, while NBC is unhappy that she has been paid a lot of money to do nothing,"
an NBC insider told the New York Post's Page Six this week.
Previously, Curry's indelicate ousting from the "Today" show in 2012 sparked a huge backlash, but was apparently lucrative, as she was soon dubbed a "Today" anchor-at-large, simultaneously becoming an NBC News national and international correspondent. Her contract is said to have been worth $12 million a year.
NBCUniversal News Group chairman Pat Fili-Krushel said in a
statement obtained by Deadline Hollywood that viewers can expect to see a lot more of Curry, on NBC and elsewhere.
"We're proud to support Ann in her new venture, and we look forward to more of her exceptional storytelling. She is committed to uncovering critical issues, humanizing them, and ultimately helping viewers understand and connect," he said. The content she creates will ultimately "report on any platform and on any network, including NBC News," he added.
Curry also spoke publicly about her upcoming venture, saying "This is about reaching for the edge of the future in journalism. I am excited about working to become a valuable link between traditional media and what is to come."
Curry anchored "NBC News at Sunrise" for six years and anchored "Dateline NBC" at one time as well. Since her "Today" show departure, Curry has interviewed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyu.