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04/10/2026 | Cynthia Bemis Abrams

Ann Curry, Jane Pauley & the Politics of Morning TV

Show Notes:

This episode unpacks two defining moments in morning news history: the high-profile departures of Ann Curry and Jane Pauley from The Today Show. Host Cynthia Bemis Abrams draws clear lines between media misogyny, power dynamics, and ageism—calling out the roles of Matt Lauer, Bryant Gumbel, and network leadership in both exits. Cynthia also weaves in ABC’s Kelly Ripa and her modern approach to power, branding, and defiance.
Topics covered:
  • Ann Curry’s emotional on-air goodbye and NBC’s year-long campaign to force her out.
  • Jane Pauley’s quiet replacement by Deborah Norville in 1989.
  • Media bias, sexism, and ageism across generations of women in broadcast news.
  • Kelly Ripa’s refusal to quietly fade after Regis’s departure.

Resources:

CNN’s coverage of Curry’s departure from The Today Show https://youtu.be/uVUfFUKXaUA?si=1sU7CiGZfx1aBV-s

Brian Stelter’s (then a reporter for the New York Times) 2013 book, Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.  https://brianstelter.com/

YouTube (Audio Only):
https://youtu.be/eYYN02x6F9Y?si=fRTIeOZtk0Esp18M