Why Ann Curry Was Ready to Return to TV

Ann Curry has kept a relatively low profile since leaving Today in 2012, but now she’s back and ready to embark on an important project

She’ll spearhead a new six-part PBS docuseries, We’ll Meet Again, that will focus on reuniting people with someone who helped them during a traumatic moment in the life.

Curry opened up to People about the new project and why she wanted to return to TV after her high-profile exit. She attributes her decision to her love of storytelling and the desire to provide meaningful stories to those who are seeking them.

“There was that kind of feeling that I’m not done,” Curry said. “If I can contribute work that matters, especially in this time when people are yearning for it, then I’d like to. … I’ve always thought of journalism as a service profession. I’m in it to give, not to get. This show lets me explore people’s beautiful wishes to reconnect with the people who helped them survive.”

She also touched on the positive types of stories We’ll Meet Again will tell. She particularly singles out the compassionate elements to people’s stories, which she sees as vital is today’s social climate.

“The power we have to do good and to have compassion lives deep within us all, and I believe it’s something we need to be reminded of,” Curry said. “There are times we forget it exists, and we may be living in one of those times right now. But the capacity for good is still there. It exists, and it will rise again.”

Curry has been in the media conversation as of late due to her former Today co-host Matt Lauer’s sexual misconduct scandal. She herself recently shared her thoughts on the scandal, saying she was “not surprised by the allegations.”

She did not give any more context, saying she did not want to “hurt” or “humiliate” anyone.

“I’m trying not to hurt people,” Curry told CBS. “I know what it’s like to be publicly humiliated. I never did anything wrong to be publicly humiliated and I don’t want to cause that kind of pain to somebody else.”

We’ll Meet Again premieres Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on PBS.