Ann Curry Waves Goodbye To NBC News

Ann Curry

Ann Curry is finally cutting ties with NBC nearly two and a half years after being fired from the Today show.

The network was allegedly paying her around $12 million a year to do special reporting for NBC News after she was let go but is now laying out the seed money for Ann's new endeavor -- a media startup.

She said in a statement on Tuesday (January 13th,):

 "This is about reaching for the edge of the futures in journalism, which we know is undergoing an irrevocable transition. I am excited about working to become a valuable link between traditional media and what is to come. In today's world of fragmented media, this is the time to seize the opportunity to improve the way we distribute and even tell stories."

 According to Page Six, Curry is setting up her own production company to provide news reports and documentaries to numerous outlets, a now familiar move by other former network correspondents like Lisa Ling and Soledad O'Brien.

Despite being pushed out of the "Today" show in 2012 and into the role of "National and International Correspondent/Anchor and 'Today' Anchor at Large," Curry scored some big stories, including an interview with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2013.

In a press release NBC announced that the network will provide the venture seed for Curry's new media startup that will will focus on incubating and producing content of national and global importance with a multi-platform distribution approach."

“We’re proud to support Ann in her new venture, and we look forward to more of her exceptional storytelling,” said Pat Fili-Krushel, Chairman of NBCUniversal News Group. “She is committed to uncovering critical issues, humanizing them, and ultimately helping viewers understand and connect.”

Meanwhile, there are reports Curry  has held “exploratory” meetings with Jeff Zucker, and that, while a deal is far from certain, the CNN president is eager to have her working at the network.

Meanwhile, the NY Post is reporting today  that Curry and Matt Lauer haven’t spoken in years, beginning with her painful public axing from “Today” right up to Tuesday night’s announcement that she’s leaving NBC News.

Sources say the former co-anchors have maintained a bitterness toward each other since Curry was ousted from “Today” in June 2012.

One NBC insider said, “Ann and Matt never made up after her firing. He believes the way she handled it made him look terrible, while she believes Matt played a major role in her downfall.”

However, other NBC insiders maintain that Lauer did not push to get Curry fired.