Ann Curry says she is processing the news that her former “Today” co-anchor Matt Lauer was fired from the morning news show following an allegation of inappropriate sexual behavior.
In a previously scheduled interview with People, the journalist declined to specifically comment on Lauer's termination.
“I’m still really processing it,” she said.
Lauer was fired over allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior early Wednesday following a Monday night complaint from a colleague. The detailed complaint said that inappropriate sexual behavior occurred at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Current co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced Lauer’s firing on “Today” Wednesday.
Related: Matt Lauer firing has people wondering what Tamron Hall, Ann Curry are up to
NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack sent a memo to employees with the announcement.
“While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
Rather than respond directly to news on Lauer, Curry, who left the morning show in 2012 after being promoted to Lauer’s co-anchor, spoke about workplace safety for women.
“The women’s movement got us into the workplace, but it didn’t make us safe once we got there and the battle lines are now clear,” she said. “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 continued. “Those women need to keep their jobs, and all women need to be able to work, to be able to thrive, without fear. 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.”
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