ANNETTE’S SIDE
As more ugly accusations fly against Matt Lauer, sources close to ex Annette Roque reveal the hell he put her through
Sources close to Matt Lauer’s ex-wife give Us a glimpse into her private struggles.
Annette Roque has always been a woman of few words. Throughout the very public demise of her marriage to disgraced Today host Matt Lauer, who was fired by NBC amid sexual misconduct allegations in 2017, the former model remained tight-lipped and poised. As the estranged couple hammered out the details of their multimillion-dollar divorce, which was finalized in September, Roque retreated even deeper into her quiet life as a dedicated stay-at-home mom to the couple’s three children in the Hamptons. But with new and shocking accusations being leveled at her ex — Lauer’s former NBC News colleague Brooke Nevils alleges that he raped her in a hotel room while they were covering the 2014 Sochi Olympics, a claim he strenuously denies — the long-suffering ex-wife, 52, is finally lifting the lid on the torment she endured during their 20-plus-year union. “Annette wanted out of the marriage for a long time,” an insider reveals to Us. “She stayed for Matt’s career — and, more important, for their kids,” Jack, 18, Romy, 16, and Thijs, 12. “But in the past five years, she’s been through hell.”
Breaking her silence for the first time, Roque has said that her children are her priority, and friends say she has no regrets over leaving, especially in light of the most recent headlines,” the insider says, adding, “Annette knew she made the best decision for herself and the kids by filing for divorce.” And though the source says Roque doesn’t believe the rape claim, she’s shocked that Matt, 61, “was so reckless and put himself in a situation in which rape allegations could be made.” Nevils asserts that the alleged assault occurred while she was drunk; and though Lauer — in an open letter he shared with The Hollywood Reporter on
Oct. 9 declaring his innocence — admits that he and Nevils “engaged in a variety of sexual acts” late at night in his hotel room, he insists they were “mutual and completely consensual.”
SHAKY START
Lauer’s extramarital affairs were commonplace during his long relationship with Roque, sources say. They led to her first filing for divorce, back in 2006, when she cited “cruel and inhumane behavior” before withdrawing the filing three weeks later. “There were cracks in the marriage from very early on,” says the insider. “Matt has always been a ladies’ man, and there were affairs in the beginning.” The source says Lauer promised to change, and that — despite whispers of more
affairs — Roque “chose to believe Matt’s denials” as the years went on. Another insider says Roque accepted her husband’s infidelities as long as he kept them private.
For a while, their situation was mutually beneficial. “Matt and Annette lived separate lives from the day they first met on a blind date,” says the source about the pair, who wed in 1998. Roque quit modeling and became a New York society wife. “Her life changed when she married Matt,” says the insider. “She got the best tables at restaurants because of her husband, and when she went to the theater, she was treated like royalty. It was a great life,” adds the source, “but the price was dealing with his cheating.”
Lauer certainly enjoyed his freedom. For a while, he’d take a helicopter back and forth from the couple’s Hampton’s mansion to their New York City apartment for work; but as time went on, he spent more and more time in the city, says the insider. “The fact that Annette wasn’t around allowed him to cheat all the time,” reveals the source.
HARD RULES
Lauer was the breadwinner — and the boss. “Matt paid every bill and made every decision,” says the insider. It wasn’t easy for Roque to live with his rigidity. “Matt’s a total control freak,” says the source, not to mention a neat freak: “Nothing was ever out of place, and he expected this same quality in his wife too,” says the insider.
The other source says Lauer’s “OCD” tendencies wore on Roque, especially when it came to an ongoing issue with the family dog. “Matt wanted their dog kept in a crate downstairs at night,” says the insider. “The kids wanted the dog upstairs with them, but Matt didn’t want dog hair in the bedrooms, and it often turned into a tense argument with Annette.”
MAJOR BREAKDOWN
Then, in November 2017, the couple’s world imploded when Lauer was fired by Today and accused of sexual misconduct with multiple coworkers. “Annette had accepted the cheating, as long as it was discreet,” says one source. “But the public humiliation was too much.” Her decision to kick Lauer to the curb came easily, despite his pleas. “He begged her to stay with him,” says the insider, “but Annette didn’t hesitate. She was furious and disgusted. Staying with Matt wasn’t a question.”
She went on to receive “a very large settlement,” says the source, “including an eight-figure lump-sum payment.” (He reportedly forked over $20 million.) Roque also got to keep the family’s Hamptons horse farm, and they’ll share the proceeds of the family home, Strongheart Manor, which is for sale for $44 million.
“MATT IS VERY PRECISE AND EXACTING IN EVERY DETAIL OF HIS LIFE. HE EXPECTS PERFECTION, WHICH TOOK A TOLL ON ANNETTE.” A SOURCE
MOVING ON
Lauer and Roque share custody of the kids, who’ve been both parents’ main focus through it all. “Jack, Romy and Thijs have had the worst time of all of this,” says a source. “Annette’s been trying very hard to keep them insulated from it.”
Living in the Hamptons, away from prying eyes and swarms of paparazzi, has helped. “It’s been a blessing,” says the insider. They’ve maintained some sense of normalcy: In August, Lauer and Roque were all smiles as they cheered on Romy during a horse show, and earlier this month, Lauer made some playful appearances in his daughter’s TikTok videos (though they appear to have been deleted since the latest scandal broke).
Roque is even offering her ex support over the rape allegations, “so the kids don’t have to suffer anymore,” says the insider. “She isn’t vindictive,” says the source, adding that Lauer’s open letter was actually her idea. “Matt’s a great father. and Annette doesn’t want him to be accused of something he didn’t do. She is and will always remain a lady above anything else.”
It helps that Roque’s at peace with everything that’s happened. “Matt was fired almost two years ago, and in that time, Annette has moved on,” says the insider. “She’s overcome the anger and betrayal. She’s living her best life.”
The only regret she has, adds the source, “is that she didn’t divorce Matt sooner.”