Ann Curry, the co-host of the ‘Today’ show, will reportedly receive a $10 million payout from NBC to leave the show. Curry, 55, learned just last week that the network wanted to replace her on the show as co-host after signing a new three-year deal with the network just last year. The deal was for $20 million and it would have paid her $10 million in her final year with the show.
If NBC does pay Curry $10 million to leave, it would not be the first time the network doled out a hefty sum to remove a host from a show. In 2010, Conan O’Brien was paid $45 million after being fired as host of ‘The Tonight Show.’ The O’Brien settlement was to be divided up for O’Brien and his production company, which has 100 employees. The settlement with Curry would be just for her. NBC should announce a permanent replacement for Curry later in the week.
It is expected that Curry will take time off and then become a foreign correspondent for NBC News. Curry could also land with CNN when her deal with NBC ends. A $10 million buyout is not a large amount of money when you compare it to Matt Lauer’s new salary, which is said to be roughly $25 million per year. It has also been reported that the show makes $200 million per year in profits for NBC.
