TODAY's Matt Lauer Regrets NBC's Handling of Ann Curry Dismissal

TVGuide reports that TODAY show's Matt Lauer has regrets about the way the NBC network handled the dismissal of his former co-host Ann Curry.

In an interview with The Daily Beast, the anchorman revealed, "I don't think the show and the network handled the transition well. You don't have to be Einstein to know that. We were seen as a family, and we didn't handle a family matter well."

Despite rumors to the contrary, Lauer was not the force behind the decision to dismiss Curry from the show. Former NBC News president Steve Capus told The Daily Beast, "When Matt was informed that we had made this decision, his good counsel was to go slow, to take care of Ann, and to do the right things. He was quietly and publicly a supporter of Ann's throughout the entire process. It is unfair that Matt has shouldered an undue amount of blame for a decision he disagreed with."

However Lauer does concede that Curry was not his first choice to replace former Today show host Meredith Vieira and actually tried to persuade Katie Couric to return to the post. While Couric was "intriqued" by the offer, NBC executives rejected the idea and Couric signed with ABC for her show Katie.

The network's decision to pair Lauer and Curry never quite worked with morning viewers leading them to replace Curry with Savannah Guthrie last year. The move appeared to backfire however, as angry viewers switched to ABC's GMA.

According to Lauer, the show is now trying to change its focus to less "salacious and scandalous news, and more on feel-good human interest stories." "We're choosing more inspiring stories," he shares. "It's a much more positive show, a more uplifting show. Much of the darkness is gone, by design."

He also tries to look on the bright side of their current second place position. "In some ways being No. 2 in the ratings is a real shot in the arm, a kick in the pants. It makes you hungrier. ... I don't think it's a bad thing to have a fire lit under your a--."

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