Matt Lauer Fired From TODAY Show Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations
Matt Lauer a long-time host of the TODAY show has been fired due to sexual harassment allegations.
On November 29, NBC decided to terminate Lauer’s contract after sexual harassment allegations brought by multiple women.
A woman reportedly came forward who had sexual interactions with Lauer in 2014 at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Several other allegations have come out against Lauer. According to CNN, Lauer gave one of his colleagues a sex toy and along with it an inappropriate note. Lauer also spoke inappropriately about other female co-workers and questioned female producers about their sex lives. In addition, he would also talk about co-hosts who he would like to have sexual interactions with.
A report from Variety stated that Lauer had a “secret button under his desk that allowed him to lock his office door remotely, affording him privacy for his sexual conquests.”
Lauer allegedly “summoned” a married co-worker to his office for sex in 2001.
The co-worker told The New York Times that she felt helpless because she didn’t want to lose her job and did not want to come forward because she was ashamed.
Lauer first started with NBC in 1997 as a host of the TODAY show. His contract with NBC was reportedly worth 20 million dollars with NBC.
Colleagues of Lauer’s are heartbroken. One of Lauer’s closest colleagues, co-host Savannah Guthrie, said on the TODAY show, “He is my dear, dear friend and my partner, and he is beloved by many, many people here. And, I’m heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell.”
Lee Greener a Williston faculty member was shocked with the news.
“No one has the right to make someone feel uncomfortable or less than in a professional environment and his firing validates this value,” Greener said. “I have been watching him since I can remember and thought he was a respectable journalist.”
Brooke Smith is a junior from Boca Raton, Florida. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with her friends and family.