TODAY’S PERV
NBC boots Lauer as a harass fiend $25M man made office a sex dungeon
Matt Lauer’s image as NBC’s marquee morning host with easy charm has been shattered forever amid tales of him exposing himself to underlings and summoning at least one woman to his office for sex.
“TODAY” HOST Matt Lauer was a hypocrite of the highest order, reporting on the sexual harassment downfall of entertainment industry big shots while using his power to abuse women for years, a portrait of the abruptly fired anchor revealed.
Despite denials from NBC, staffers said Lauer’s bad behavior was no secret at the network, which axed him Wednesday.
Colleagues in the know grew increasingly uncomfortable putting together sexual harassment stories about people like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, given what they believed about Lauer, according to Variety.
That included an allegation that Lauer, 59, gave a colleague a sex toy as a present and attached an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her, the magazine said.
The report also said Lauer once summoned a different woman to his office, dropped his pants to show her his penis, then reprimanded the employee for not engaging in a sexual act.
Variety additionally wrote that Lauer, who is married and has three children, was known for making lewd comments verbally or through text messages.
Lauer was also reported to have had an office door he could lock with a button installed under his desk, giving him the privacy he needed to initiate inappropriate contact with women on the show’s staff.
“He couldn’t sleep around town with celebrities or on the road with random people, because he’s Matt Lauer and he’s married,” a former producer told Variety.
“So he’d have to do it within his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn’t ever complain.”
By late Wednesday, two more women voiced complaints about Lauer, according to The New York Times. One former NBC employee told The Times that Lauer locked her in his office and sexually assaulted her in 2001. She said she passed out during the act and had to be taken to a nurse.
Staffers said Lauer frequently used his editorial clout at “Today” to dismiss stories about cheating husbands.
But that got increasingly difficult to do as the sexual harassment snowball rolled through Hollywood — and the TV news industry, squashing the careers of such big names as “CBS This Morning” host Charlie Rose and Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly.
Lauer found himself in the judgment seat in September when interviewing O’Reilly, who was bounced from that network in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.
In a testy back-and-forth, Lauer asked O’Reilly if he’d ever sent lewd text messages to colleagues. O’Reilly said he had not.
“Think about those women and what they did,” Lauer said.
“They came forward and filed complaints against the biggest star at the network they worked at. Think about how intimidating that must have been. Doesn’t that tell you how strongly they felt about you?”
Variety said several women complained to NBC executives about Lauer’s behavior, but nothing was ever done.
But when a woman went to the network Monday night with a detailed complaint of inappropriate conduct from Lauer that began during a trip to the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and continued for several months, NBC wasted no time giving Lauer — who earned a $25 million salary — the heave-ho.
“As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment,” NBC News chief Andrew Lack wrote in a staff memo that gave no specifics about Lauer’s alleged behavior.
“While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
Lauer’s stunned colleagues emotionally broke the news on air.
“We are devastated,” said “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, choking up. “I’m heartbroken for Matt. He is my dear, dear friend and partner.”
Lack told staff Lauer understood why he was being fired and even said he was sorry, sources told CNN.
Reporters from The Times met with Lauer’s unnamed accuser Monday afternoon, the newspaper said, but noted she wasn’t ready to go public about her experience.
Ari Wilkenfeld, the woman’s lawyer, said they met with NBC officials for “several hours” Monday night. “Our impression at this point is that NBC acted quickly, as all companies should, when confronted with credible allegations of sexual misconduct in the workplace,” Wilkenfeld told The Times on Wednesday.
“I am in awe of the courage my client showed to be the first to raise a complaint and to do so without making any demands other than the company do the right thing.”
Lauer was conspicuously absent from a broadcast of the Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center Wednesday night as his NBC News colleagues hosted the event without him.
“Many of these powerful men have been taking advantage of women. It’s disgusting, but at least now it’s out in the open,” said Julienane Rios, 22, at the tree lighting.
Although women said they had complained to NBC about Lauer in the past, the network, “unequivocally” denied any prior knowledge of his alleged bad behavior.
The anchor, who was under contract through 2018, was one of NBC News’ highest-paid talents.
He started filling in at the show 25 years ago while still working with local affiliate WNYC.
Lauer became a full-time reporter with “Today” in 1994. He was tapped to co-host the long-running morning show 20 years ago when Bryant Gumbel left.
His tenure featured major interviews like Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2006, but it was also marred by the well-documented departure of co-host Ann Curry in 2012. The two reportedly clashed, forcing
Curry out at the network. Curry told People she was “still really processing” the news.
Lauer’s wife, Annette, once accused him of “cruel and inhumane” behavior against her in a 2006 divorce filing that In Touch Weekly obtained three years ago. The divorce papers were pulled within three weeks and the couple reconciled, the magazine reported.
The firing comes amid a wave of sexual harassment allegations, which began with scores of women accusing Weinstein, one of Hollywood’s biggest movie producers, of improper acts.
A week ago, Rose was fired from CBS and PBS after numerous women accused him of sexual misconduct over decades.
Lauer is the second high-profile figure to get the boot at his company after MSNBC political analyst Mark Halperin was let go in October. Several women accused the “Game Change” author of sexual harassment while he was ABC News’ political director. Fox News nudged out ratings king O’Reilly earlier this year after reports he and the network quietly settled several sexual harassment lawsuits.
The conservative-leaning network also parted ways with founding CEO Roger Ailes in 2016, after he was accused of sexually harassing several women at Fox News, including Megyn Kelly. The network distanced itself from one of its stars, Geraldo Rivera, after he tweeted that news is a “flirty business” in response to Lauer’s downfall. Rivera later apologized.
Arron Clue, a Brooklyn hairstylist who attended the Rockefeller Center tree lighting, did not believe the allegations against Lauer.
“I can’t believe it. He’s been a respected journalist for over 20 years. One person comes forward and his career is over. It’s outrageous,” Clue said.
Lauer’s canning may now jeopardize a $9 million land deal in New Zealand, because being of “good character” is a condition of the sale, Bloomberg News reported.
President Trump, who stirred outrage after a tape came out last year in which he bragged of sexually abusing women, was quick to weigh in on Lauer’s termination.
“Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace,” Trump tweeted. “But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!”