It's been a tumultuous few months for Ann Curry. On November 29, 2017, her former colleague, Matt Lauer, was ousted from his Today post after NBC received allegations of "inappropriate sexual behavior." And on January 17, she was asked to comment on those accusations while on CBS This Morning, saying there was indeed a "climate of verbal harassment" at her former place of employment.
In light of the recent events, many have wondered what Curry, who worked alongside Lauer for over a decade, is up to now?
It should come as no shock that after her exit from Today in 2012, Curry continued doing what she does best — reporting on important human interest stories and world-changing events.
Curry joined the NBC team in 1990 as a Chicago correspondent. She anchored NBC News at Sunrise, before joining Today. In June 2011, she was promoted to the coveted coanchor spot. However, only seven months into the new gig, ratings went down, and producers noticed a lack of chemistry between Curry and her cohost, Lauer. Curry gave a tearful goodbye during a live broadcast in June 2012 —only a year into the job. "For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball over the finish line but, man, I did try," she told viewers.
Curry continued working for NBC as a national and international correspondent and a Today anchor at large, nabbing big exclusive interviews like a 2013 sit-down with the president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani. However, after her controversial departure as a Today cohost, Curry spent most of her time "lying low," according to a 2013 New York Times Magazine article. In January 2015, she officially announced her departure from NBC.
"I am sincerely grateful to NBC News for allowing me to offer viewers a vast and diverse body of work," Curry said in a statement at the time. "It has been a privilege to work with so many good and talented people at the network and I look forward to what we will do ahead."
That same year, she started her own production company, Ann Curry Inc, which focuses on the coverage of life-changing human stories with impact.
The "first effort" from her company is a documentary project called We'll Meet Again, which began in earnest in the summer of 2016, when Curry's co-executive producer, Justine Kershaw started thinking about reunions. "Justine had an experience where she fell off of a mountain while hiking and was rescued," Curry tells CountryLiving.com. "Years later, she went back to say hello to her rescuers and they reacted with such emotion, that she realized there was just something about reunions and being able to tie a bow on these deep moments in your life."
Curry has her own heartwarming reunion story. Her father, a U.S. Navy veteran, met and fell in love with her Japanese mother when the U.S. occupied the country post-World War II. Her father was reassigned elsewhere, but returned to Japan two years to reunite with for his love.
The PBS series began shooting in spring 2017. It features reunions between people whose lives have intersected at "pivotal moments" in history. When Curry saw the finished product around Thanksgiving, she knew there was "a real beauty" in the concept.
"What I predict will happen when people see it, is they will probably see themselves and see history and world-changing events in a new light and they will fall in love with the people they are following," says Curry. "The people [in the series] are wonderful and they will probably be deeply touched by the resilience and courage and the possibilities for kindness in our human family."
What's next for the trailblazer?
"We're hopeful for a second season of We'll Meet Again and I'm working on other documentary projects, about world-changing events of our time and also about stories that have an impact," says Curry. "I don't want to tell you what I'm cooking up.
"I'd rather tell you when it's ready, because these projects are sensitive!"
Rose is a Senior Editor at ELLE overseeing features and projects about women's issues. She is an accomplished and compassionate storyteller and editor who excels in obtaining exclusive interviews and unearthing compelling features.
