NBC wants Matt Lauer to have a 'friendly lunch' with Ann Curry

Matt Lauer's reputation has suffered so much since Ann Curry's dramatic departure from the "Today" show in June, that people are literally "screaming at him on the streets of Manhattan," a source told TMZ Thursday. Worried and upset that Lauer's nice-guy reputation could be forever ruined by the Curry debacle, NBC executives are reportedly hoping to patch things up with a very public lunch summit.

According to the New York Daily News, Curry is resistant to the idea, but studio execs and coworkers are eager to help Lauer out of his current PR mess.

“It’s terrible; every time they try to do something to fix this, another Ann story pops up,” a source said. “Their biggest mistake was letting her burst into tears on air and her saying she wasn’t able to carry the ball, shifting the blame on Matt.”

In case you need a refresher, here's Curry's emotional "Today" show exit speech:

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