Ann Curry Is Not Surprised By Accusations Against Matt Lauer

In an interview with CBS This Morning, former Today show host Ann Curry said that she’s not surprised about the accusations against Matt Lauer and added that there was a pervasive atmosphere of verbal sexual harassment during her time there. Here are highlights:

On the issue being bigger than Lauer: “I can say that I would be surprised if — if — many women did not understand that there was a climate of verbal harassment — that existed. I think it’d be surprising if someone said that they didn’t see that. So it was p — a verbal — sexual –. I don’t wanna cause more pain. But no, I’m — you are asking me a very direct question. I’m an honest person. I wanna tell you that it was. Yes. Period.”

On the #MeToo movement: “We clearly are waking up to a reality, an injustice that has been occurring for some time. And I think it will continue to occur until the glass ceiling is finally broken,” she said. “I’m not talking about people being attracted to other people. I’m talking about people in the work place who are powerful, who are abusing that power — and women and men are suffering.”

On moving beyond individual accusations: “The real question, in my view, is what are we going to do with all of this anger? And it’s not just, obviously, about where I used to work. It’s not about where you’re now working. But it’s about the problem that’s pervasive across industries in work places across America. The question is, ultimately, what are we going to do about it?”