Matt Lauer tweets apology to intern

Matt Lauer is having something of a tough week.

First, the "Today" host, who took much of the heat after NBC unceremoniously demoted his former co-host Ann Curry, found out he may be replaced by Anderson Cooper before his contract expires in 2014.

Then, a producer at Fox 8 in Cleveland tweeted a comment from a former "Today" intern, anchor Mark Zinni, saying Lauer had been "not so nice."

"I was just a young kid with a bright future ahead of me," @markzinni talking about internship at @todayshow and "not so nice" @mlauer

— Darren Sweeney (@dwsweeney) March 26, 2013

Apparently, the beleaguered host has been following the criticism, and defended himself on Twitter.

@concede i was an intern there in '97, his first year on the job... how do i say this....? he was.... not nice.

— Mark Zinni (@MarkZinni) March 26, 2013

@markzinni huh? Always tried to be nice Mark. Sorry you didn'tthink so. Hope you're doing well.Matt

— Matt Lauer (@MLauer) March 27, 2013

Zinni, on the other hand, seems to be taking his new-found notoriety in stride, thanking commenters for support and hoping for a quiet weekend.