MONEY WOES

His public downfall and pending divorce have taken major tolls on Matt Lauer’s finances

With his career in shambles and a hefty divorce settlement looming, Matt Lauer is scrambling to find some cash — stat.

Once again, Matt Lauer was the talk of the town. In April, 17 months after he was fired from NBC following allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior, the disgraced former anchor, 61, made a rare public appearance at a Manhattan hotel to celebrate pal Jeff Zucker’s 54th birthday. The two men, once colleagues at Today, were seen laughing and chatting so amiably that rumors soon grew rampant that Zucker, now president of CNN, planned to hire Matt at the cable giant.

But it was not to be. A month later, Zucker told concerned employees at a CNN town hall that there was “absolutely

no truth” to the speculation. And Matt’s career remains ice-cold. Now amid reports that he and his estranged wife, Annette Roque, 53, have finally hammered out a divorce settlement that gives her $20 million ( plus their $3.5 million horse farm in New York’s posh Hamptons enclave), “Matt’s going through a really tough time,” a source tells Life & Style exclusively. “The divorce is costing him a fortune, plus he has to pay child support for the kids. He used to love living the high life, splashing out on cars, properties, clothes and expensive dinners. But now Matt has to cut back and budget, which is a real shock to the system for him.”

SHEDDING PROPERTY

Since his firing, Matt has been keeping a low profile in the Hamptons, where Annette also lives with their children, sons Jack, 18, and Thijs, 12, and daughter Romy, 15. Last year, he sold the Upper East Side apartment where he used to spend work nights, and “he’s been focusing on getting his relationship with his kids on track,” says an insider. But there’s further upheaval to come, as the family’s beloved Hamp

tons estate in North Haven, N.Y., was recently put on the chopping block ( see sidebar). “Matt ’s devastated that he has to sell it, but he doesn’t have much choice,” says the source. “He needs the money.”

In the midst of all this painful downsizing, “Matt isn’t in a great place,” the source confesses. “He’s still close to some of his old pals, but most of his Hollywood friends dropped him when the al legat ions emerged. The work has dried up, and he’s no longer Mr. Big Shot — he’s so lonely and down that he rarely leaves the house.”

When all is said and

done, adds the source, Matt is likely to remain in the Hamptons, where he’s been spotted driving a Range Rover with a “For Sale” sign and picking up pizza and chips from a local market: “His days of living in the fast lane are over, though.”

Lying Low “Matt’s life has changed drastically in the past few years,” an insider says. “He went from feeling like the king of New York to being a virtual recluse. He’s been truly humbled.”

The latest casualty of Matt’s cash crunch is this 14,000-square-foot Hamptons home, bought in 2016 from Richard Gere. On the market for $44 million, the idyllic property dates back to 1902 and boasts 12 bedrooms, two guesthouses (Matt’s been bunking in one of them, to stay close to the kids), a deepwater dock, a basketball court and a 60-foot pool. Selling it, says an insider, “is another reminder of Matt’s fall from grace.”

The Family’s New Normal Annette, here with son Thijs, “has tried to shield the kids from Matt’s scandal and its aftermath,” an insider shares. “But things have still been pretty turbulent for them, too.”