Curry, born in Guam to Hiroe Nagase and Robert Paul “Bob” Curry, spent part of her childhood in Japan before relocating to Oregon, where she completed high school and later earned her college degree.
Her broadcasting journey began in 1978 as an intern at KTVL, an NBC affiliate in Oregon, where she quickly rose to become the station’s first female news reporter. She later transitioned to KGW in Portland, working as both an anchor and reporter, before moving to Los Angeles for a six-year stint as a reporter for a CBS affiliate, during which she earned two Emmy Awards.
In 1990, Curry joined NBC News as a correspondent in Chicago before landing a role as an anchor on NBC News at Sunrise. Over the next five years, she also filled in for Matt Lauer on Today. In 1997, she was named a news anchor on Today, where she remained until 2011. Additionally, Curry served as co-anchor of Dateline NBC from 2005 and frequently substituted on NBC Nightly News.
Despite her achievements, Curry’s departure from Today in 2012 was emotional and public, with the reasons behind her exit remaining unclear. She stayed with NBC News until January 2015.
After leaving NBC, Curry continued to make an impact in journalism. She founded a multi-platform media company, produced the PBS series We’ll Meet Again, delivered a TED Talk on restoring trust in journalism, and hosted TNT’s Chasing the Cure. In 2022, Curry received the Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award from Washington State University for her work covering human suffering in war zones and natural disasters.
Recently, Curry engaged in discussions with Min Jin Lee, author of “Pachinko,” for PBS Arts Talk. Despite maintaining a low profile on social media, she resurfaced briefly to share a wintry photo, reminding her followers to “keep safe and cozy.”