Watch the Nov. 30th broadcast of Prime News
Matt Lauer. Lord have mercy. We woke up yesterday morning to the news that after a single, detailed formal complaint of sexual misconduct, NBC gave its golden boy Matt Lauer – a newscaster of 20 years with its network – the swift boot from its network and The Today Show.
Matt Lauer broke his silence today in a statement read on the show, saying he was “truly sorry” and that not all of the allegations that have followed are correct, but he admitted that “there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”
Ya’ll….ya’ll…
In case you haven’t heard the details being reported, here’s some of the stories folks are sharing since his firing:
- As the co-host of NBC’s “Today,” Matt Lauer once gave a colleague a sex toy as a present. It included an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her
- On another day, he summoned a different female employee to his office, and then dropped his pants, showing her his penis. After the employee declined to do anything, visibly shaken, he reprimanded her for not engaging in a sexual act.
- He would sometimes quiz female producers about who they’d slept with, offering to trade names. And he loved to engage in a crass quiz game with men and women in the office: “f—, marry, or kill,” in which he would identify the female co-hosts that he’d most like to sleep with.
- Despite being married, Lauer was fixated on women, especially their bodies and looks, according to more than 10 accounts from current and former employees. He was known for making lewd comments verbally or over text messages. He once made a suggestive reference to a colleague’s performance in bed and compared it to how she was able to complete her job, according to witnesses to the exchange
- His office was in a secluded space, and he had a button under his desk that allowed him to lock his door from the inside without getting up. This afforded him the assurance of privacy. It allowed him to welcome female employees and initiate inappropriate contact while knowing nobody could walk in on him
- According to producers, Lauer — who had considerable editorial clout over which stories would ultimately air on “Today” — would frequently dismiss stories about cheating husbands. However, in the wake of Roger Ailes and Harvey Weinstein, Lauer had to keep up with a national conversation about sexual harassment. It often made for awkward moments on TV for staff members who knew about Lauer’s private interactions.
- And, he played a hand in the terminations of Tamron Hall and Ann Curry
Best social media reactions were posts made in vindication for Tamron Hall and Ann Curry.
Listen, the FCN business and talent development have had critical discussions about this issue and I’ve been authorized by FCN management to say this live and in color…..we at FCN would like to offer Ann Curry and Tamron Hall the salary of $1…dollar to join the FCN news desk. We do not tolerate sexual misconduct and women are given equal opportunity to thrive in a working environment. FCN will bend over backwards to make sure you both have everything you need to be great. Okay? Seriously, give us a call.
