Ann Curry officially confirmed her exit from the "Today" show on Thursday's airing of the show. She emotionally announced to viewers that this would be the last of her days alongside co-hosts Matt Lauer, Albert Lincoln Rocker, and Natalie Morales.
"This is not easy to say, but today will be my last morning as a regular co-host on 'Today'," announced Curry. "I am so grateful, especially to all of you who watch...We often call ourselves a family, but you [viewers] are the real 'Today show' family."
Curry went on to thank viewers for their support.
"Every time I wake up I will be missing you," said Curry. "For all of you who saw me as a groundbreaker, I'm sorry I couldn't carry the ball to the finish line...but man, I did try."
The NBC network decided to give Curry the boot due to a decrease in ratings.
The show had been in the lead as top morning show for 852 consecutive weeks, until ABC's "Good Morning America" took the lead in April.
Lauer spoke of Curry's large contribution to the "Today" show.
"You have the biggest heart," Lauer said. "The way you care about people comes through every day," he told a tearful Curry.
Before Curry announced her exit, she told USA Today in an interview that telling the viewers about her exit would be "tough."
She added, "I'm going to have to tell our viewer. That's what makes me more emotional than anything. I don't want to leave them. I love them. And I will really miss them."
Curry maintains that she is not sure who spread the word of her leaving before she had the chance to do so, but that she was hurt by it.
"I don't know who has been behind the leaks, but no question they've hurt deeply," Curry stated.
Although her leave from the show is saddening for many, Curry is now left with the opportunity to work in international reporting, which she admitted to having a new found passion for months back.
She will still play a large role within NBC, as a unit will be created for Curry to cover in-depth national and international stories.
"I would be trying to give voice to the citizens of Syria," Curry told USA Today. "I would be trying to understand and report what the women in Egypt are thinking and worrying about after the elections there. I would be spending time with the new poor in America, trying to understand how families will be making that shift with the economy we're facing."
Curry says she is excited about this new position because she has not gotten the opportunity to travel and cover these kinds of stories since the start of her hosting the "Today" show.
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