Ann Curry Flouts NBC Contract with New Haircut

NBC and staff at the "Today" show might have put former anchor Ann Curry through "professional torture" during her all too public termination, but now the beloved reporter is proving that sometimes looking good is the best revenge. When the veteran newswoman covered the Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent manhunt for the suspects last week, Curry debuted a short, sassy new haircut -- in direct violation of her contract with the network.

(See photo of Ann's new do here)

Curry was often the target of behind-the-scenes ridicule and outright name-calling during her last year at "Today," according to a new tell-all book, "Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV" by New York Times reporter Brian Stetler; NBC staffers reportedly spent much of their time in the control room mocking Curry's outfits and style in general. But during her first trip back to the "Today" show in nine months to report on bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, it was Curry who had the last laugh, showing off her simple-yet-fashionable new look, likely agitating NBC even more.

"Ann was always told by her bosses that her hair had to be long, and she just didn't like to wear it at that length. She is a no-fuss gal, and doesn't want to spend a ton of time styling her hair," a source close to the situation told Radar Online.

"About a week ago, she just decided to cut it. It's a much shorter style, and doesn't take as long to do. Ann didn't tell her bosses she was going to do it beforehand. NBC on air talent is required to notify management if they plan on making any changes to their physical appearance."

If NBC engages Curry in a feud over something as seemingly innocuous as her new hair style, it would be far from the first time. According to Stetler's book, and other similar reports, many at the network, including co-anchor Matt Lauer, inherently disliked Curry.

"Today" show executive producer Jim Bell apparently had such a distaste for Curry that he "commissioned a blooper reel of Curry's worst on-air mistakes," according to Stetler.

Bell along with NBC may also have been responsible for ushering Curry out the door, sources told Stetler. Bell was so concerned about the "Today" show's plunging ratings, and anchor Matt Lauer's apparent hatred for Curry that he "personally" planned to trade her for Savannah Guthrie. Bell has denounced both stories as pure fabrication.

NBC was also so ready to get rid of Curry that the network started rushing her out the office before it even told her they were kicking her to the curb. Before Curry was ultimately fired in June 2012, numerous boxes of her personal items disappeared from her office and "ended up in a coat closet, as if she had already been booted off the premises," Stelter writes in the book.

Ever since Curry lost her job on live TV, the former reporter has admittedly remained "profoundly hurt and humiliated" by her firing from NBC and the jabs she's received from producers and colleagues, Stetler writes.

"She told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture," Stelter says.