Kathie Lee, Lauer Ad: 'Today' Show Co-Host's Full Page Ad Idea Supporting Matt Lauer After Ann Curry Drama, Hundreds of Signatures

It has been a tough year for Matt Lauer, Ann Curry, and really anyone involved with NBC's "Today" show. The firing drama surrounding Curry took on a life of its own with reports of behind-the-scenes bullying, backlash, and deception. As a result, Lauer's squeaky clean image took a huge hit after Curry was let go. As a result, fellow "Today" co-host Kathie Lee Gifford is attempting to stand up for her colleague with a full page ad showing support for Lauer.

The New York Daily News is reporting that Kathie Lee almost took out a full page ad, full of signatures from "Today" show staff that was supposed to run in USA Today. Kathie Lee allegedly got hundreds of signatures including Al Roker, Hoda Kotb, and Savannah Guthrie. Although, as the Daily News notes, Curry's signature was not present.

"We the people of the 'Today' show who work side by side, day by day, year in and year out with Matt Lauer are tired of unfounded and unrelenting stories by faceless characters regarding his character and reputation," the letter allegedly read. "No one has coerced us to sign this. With our signatures we stand in support of our colleague and friend."

Kathie Lee reportedly was extremely upset at all the reports using unnamed sources criticizing Lauer, which is what prompted her to think of taking out an ad. "We read the same newspapers and saw all the media reports, and it was frustrating for all of us watching it day to day and feeling a little helpless," Gifford told The News. "No one seemed to be interested in the truth, and that was really frustrating for me because I have a deep sense of injustice about things. I don't like somebody taking credit for something they had nothing to do with and I certainly don't like somebody taking blame for something that they're not responsible for."

Unfortunately, in the end, Lauer nixed the idea. Lauer was reportedly deeply touched but asked Kathie Lee to "keep it in the family."