Ann Curry and NBC have a messed up relationship, to say the least. Curry was booted from The Today Show in June 2012 after ratings began to drop. Her dismissal was like watching someone being professionally flogged in a town square. It was humiliating and we couldn’t help but feel for Curry.

Curry was reportedly fired because she had no on-air chemistry with Today co-host Matt Lauer, according to executive producer Jim Bell. We all saw how tough the last year was for her, but it’s been revealed that in addition to her unceremonious ousting, she may have also been the victim of office bullying.

Media reporter Brian Stelter writes about Curry’s ordeal in Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV.

“A lot of time in the control room was spent making fun of Ann’s outfit choices or just generally messing with her,” a NBC staff member told Stelter. At one point, a photo of Curry wearing a bright yellow dress was Photoshopped next to a picture of Big Bird, and staffers were asked to vote for “Who Wore It Best?,” according to the same employee.

Another time, she was dubbed Toucan Sam when she wore a multicolored dress. Producers were also allegedly unhappy with Curry’s gray hair and her desire to wear flat shoes.

I’m sorry, but is NBC a place of employment or a school playground? Or is it just another boys’ club where women’s outfit choices are open to ridicule?

The nonsense didn’t stop there. Before Curry was given the kiss-off, some of her boxes of personal belongings went missing and “ended up in a coat closet, as if she had already been booted off the premises,” writes Stelter. It’s also rumored Curry’s removal from The Today Show was called “Operation Bambi” after an employee compared Curry’s firing with killing Bambi. Bell denies these allegations of bullying.

Curry reportedly told friends and family that she was being “professionally tortured” during her final year at The Today Show.

Since Curry’s removal, the show’s ratings have continued to drop. Bad news for NBC: now they don’t have Curry’s flat shoes, grey hair and “lack of chemistry” to blame. Sucks to be you, NBC.