Fans Create Online Petition to Bring Ann Curry Back to ‘Today’

In the wake of Matt Lauer‘s termination from the Today Show, many are wondering who could possibly replace the iconic anchor on one of the top-rated morning shows in America. For a growing number of fans, the answer is Ann Curry.

In fact, fans have started a petition to bring back Lauer’s former co-anchor, who worked on the Today Show from 1997 to 2012. In 2011, following the departure of Meredith Vieira, Curry became Lauer’s co-anchor on the show. She held the position for just over a year, during which time, the show reportedly suffered from a decrease in ratings. For a short time, Today even fell behind its ABC counterpart Good Morning America in total viewers.

Even if NBC acquiesced to the petition, there’s no guarantee that Curry would accept the job. She finally left NBC for good in 2015, after almost 25 years. Since then, she’s founded her own multi-platform media company, and undertaken a whole host of other projects.

The petition says that even if Curry turns down the position, offering it to her would be some form of justice from NBC. The petition currently has 768 signatures.

The circumstances under which Curry left her job beside Lauer are unclear. She gave a tearful farewell on air, telling the audience that she was being given a “new, fancy title” — which turned out to be International Correspondent for NBC News.

Unsubstantiated rumors have always circulated, claiming that Curry was reassigned due to a tense personal relationship with Lauer. The petition even includes a claim that Curry once blamed the “boys’ club atmosphere” of NBC News for forcing her out.

Just this morning, Curry gave an interview promoting her new docuseries, We’ll Meet Again, on PBS. When asked about the news, she told reporters at PEOPLE that she didn’t want to comment on the Matt Lauer story.