Poor Matt Lauer. In-between dealing with the fallout from this week’s New York Magazine expose on the troubled firing of Ann Curry from the Today Show and apologizing to former interns over Twitter, the man just can’t seem to get along with his newest female co-host.

Lauer and co-host Savannah Guthrie were out in Times Square doing a segment on vacuum cleaners this morning when Guthrie had a little trouble operating the confusing device. As the segment wrapped up, Lauer cracked that it was “the first time Savannah has ever vacuumed.”

Guthrie took offense to the joke and let fly with a spontaneous one-finger salute in Lauer’s direction.

Guthrie has since claimed via Twitter that she actually raised her index finger, not her middle finger:

However, viewers who saw the live performance are feeling pretty certain that Guthrie’s middle finger was the one raised. Watch the video below and decide for yourself:

Whichever finger that was, the intent behind it was clear, though the gesture certainly seems playful rather than mean-spirited. Either way, I think we can all agree that the vacuum cleaner salesperson needs to work on her pitch.

(Image courtesy @markashby11 via Twitter)