ACCUSED TV STAR SACKED
AMERICAN breakfast television veteran Matt Lauer has been fired following explosive allegations of sexual harassment.
Claims against the former US Today host include that he gave a colleague a sex toy, along with an “explicit” letter saying he “wanted to use it on her”, Variety reported.
Variety also revealed Lauer – whose salary was $US25 million ($A33 million) annually – exposed himself to a female colleague in his office, where he had a button under his desk that could lock the door without him getting up.
Variety said at least three victims had gone on the record to say Lauer sexually harassed them, including a woman who gave a detailed complaint to NBC about Lauer’s conduct on a trip to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. This led to Lauer’s sacking yesterday.
Co-host Savannah Guthrie announced 59-year-old Lauer’s termination on air as their program began, calling it “a sad morning here at Today and at NBC News”.
NBC received at least two more complaints against Lauer yesterday, the New York Times reported. Lauer has been a fixture on Today more than 20 years, first joining as a newsreader in 1994.