Booting Ann Curry from the Today Show Was 'Absolutely My Call,' Says Guy

Today Show executive producer Jim Bell revealed—for the first time publicly—that the decision to dump Ann Curry from her co-anchor position was 100% his call and had nothing to do with Matt Lauer being a huge bitch. Curry got the position in the first place, he says, because she had “earned it,” but…

“Hindsight is 20/20. You can sit there and think this or that, but we’re comfortable with that decision and the one we’ve made now.”

…He declined to call the original decision to name Ms. Curry to the anchor position a mistake, but he said that she is now “in the role she is naturally suited for.”

Which is…not being on the TV that much, I guess.

Bell then took a moment to talk some shit about GMA (“calling ‘Today’ a ‘more serious show’ and accusing ‘G.M.A.’ of ‘doing something else'”), and to defend Matt Lauer’s snow-white virtue.

“These stories portraying Matt in a negative light are just preposterous,” Mr. Bell said. “Matt is the heart and soul of the broadcast. He has a heart of gold. This stuff about him has been very irresponsible and in a lot of cases flat-out wrong.”

Okey dokey, then!

Executive Producer of ‘Today’ Says Ouster of Ann Curry Was His Call [NYTimes]