Matt Lauer, the anchor of “Today” for two decades, was fired by NBC News after a detailed complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.
“Today” co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced Lauer’s firing Wednesday, telling viewers at the top of the show that they were processing his departure but didn’t yet know all of the details.
In a memo to employees sent Wednesday morning, NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the complaint, which was made by a colleague of Lauer’s, prompted a serious review and represented a “clear violation of our company’s standards.”
Lack said it was the first complaint lodged against Lauer, 59, for his behavior since he took over as anchor of the show in 1997, but there was “reason to believe” it may not have been an isolated incident.
“Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender,” Lack said.
Guthrie, who joined Lauer at the anchor desk in 2012, said she was “heartbroken” for both him and the “brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their stories to tell.”
“I’m sure we will be learning more details in the hours and days to come. And we promise we will share that with you,” she said.
Kotb added that she has known Lauer as a friend and colleague for 15 years and “it’s hard to reconcile what we are hearing with the man who we know, who walks in this building every single day.”
Guthrie said it can be difficult to make sense of accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior against a longtime colleague.
“How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly and I don’t know the answer to that,” she said. “But I do know that this reckoning, that so many organizations have been going through, is important, it’s long overdue and it must result in workplaces where all women — all people — feel safe and respected.”
Lauer’s departure comes in the wake of sexual misconduct complaints lodged in recent months against high-profile men, including in entertainment, politics and media.
Last week, talk show host and journalist Charlie Rose was fired by CBS News, PBS and Bloomberg after eight women accused him of past sexual harassment and unwanted advances in a report in The Washington Post.
Rose, who co-hosted “CBS This Morning,” released a statement apologizing for his behavior while maintaining that some of the allegations were inaccurate.
Lauer did not immediately respond publicly to the announcement of his firing.
President Donald Trump noted Lauer’s firing on Twitter, writing, “Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.’ But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News.”
Earlier this month, NBC News also fired its senior vice president for booking, Matt Zimmerman, after learning about “inappropriate conduct” with more than one woman at NBC Universal, the parent company of NBC.
I HAD MY D N A TESTED. THE RESULTS CAME BACK,,,
50% ASSHOLE…………..
THE REST WAS INDESCRIBABLE………
I bet it was alien, right? And you’re not gonna tell what planet. “Indescribable” usually means Off-Earth. I just knew it!!!
🙂
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