The crew at the Today Show is rallying around Ann Curry Executioner Matt Lauer.

Word is that Kathie Lee Gifford was so fed up with criticism of Matt Lauer that she decided to show him some love in a full-page newspaper ad — and got the whole “Today” cast and crew to sign it.

Gifford backed off publishing the open letter this week at Lauer’s request, the NY Daily News reports.

Lauer’s co-star, a longtime tabloid target herself, was especially livid at reporters who used “unnamed sources” to slam Lauer and blame him for former co-host Ann Curry’s ouster last June, she told The News.

“We read the same newspapers and saw all the media reports, and it was frustrating for all of us watching it day to day and feeling a little helpless,” Gifford said. “No one seemed to be interested in the truth, and that was really frustrating for me because I have a deep sense of injustice about things. I don’t like somebody taking credit for something they had nothing to do with and I certainly don’t like somebody taking blame for something that they’re not responsible for,” she said.

So she decided to write the letter and run it in USA Today as an ad. “We all wanted to say something to Matt and nobody wanted to put him in a position that would make him uncomfortable,” Gifford said. “So unbeknownst to anyone higher up at NBC, I just started this thing.”

Over three weeks, Gifford collected hundreds of signatures from “Today” staffers for the letter, which sprawled across seven pages. Among them were Lauer’s co-host, Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Willie Geist and Hoda Kotb.

Each signature included the staffer’s position and how long they had worked alongside Lauer — many for more than 20 years.

There was one NBC staffer that did not sign the letter on support..... Ann Curry.

H/T NY Daily News