Chelsea Handler scolded by NBC for making fun of Matt Lauer

Network brass has been so concerned with Matt Lauer's public image since Ann Curry's dramatic exit from the "Today" show last year -- even going so far as to arrange cutesy make-up lunches -- that Comcast execs reportedly asked the E! Network's Chelsea Handler to refrain from making jokes about the 55-year-old "Today" show host.

It all started when "Today" meteorologist Al Roker confessed to pooping his pants during a visit to the White House several years ago. Handler joked about it on "Chelsea Lately," saying: “This isn’t the first time a ‘Today’ show cast member was in the news about this sensitive subject. For years it was common knowledge that Matt Lauer spent every morning [sh**ing] all over Ann Curry.”

“Chelsea’s writers were warned to lay off Matt," a source told The New York Post. "They don’t want them making more fun of Matt and the Ann Curry situation right now."

An E! rep refuted the story, however, saying, "This is absolutely false, and no such request was made."

Here's Handler's joke (via Mediaite):