Matt Lauer: "I Have a Lower Q Rating Than Polio"

Matt Lauer is taking all the recent reports and jabs at his character in stride.

The Todayhost — who has been getting bashed in the press, including rumors that Anderson Cooper may replace him — decided to poke fun at himself while hosting the UJA-Federation of New York event to celebrate Bloomberg Media Group's CEO Andrew Lack, according to the New York Post.

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During the event, Lauer reportedly said he was "a bit surprised to be asked to host this dinner" given the bad press he had been receiving. "If you've been following the papers lately, you know it's been a bit rough for me," he said. "These days, I only get asked to host dinners if polio is busy. Yup, I have a lower Q rating than polio right now."

According to the New York Times, Lauer's Q rating, which measures the appeal of a brand, performer or TV program, went from 19 in September 2011 to 9 in January 2013.

While introducing his former Today co-host Katie Couric, Lauer referenced the recent New York Times article that suggested he was to blame for Ann Curry's departure. "Katie has a way of making headlines," he said. "Who can forget when she was co-host of the Today show? She got a colonoscopy on TV. Not to be outdone, two weeks ago, I got one in the New York Times."

What do you think? Has the press been unfair to Lauer?