Matt Lauer#Sexual misconduct allegations

Lauer was born in New York City, the son of Marilyn Lauer, a boutique owner, and Jay Robert Lauer, a bicycle company executive.{{cite web |url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/16/Matt-Lauer.html |title=Matt Lauer Biography (1957–) |publisher=Filmreference.com |access-date=March 17, 2009}}{{unreliable source?|date=December 2017}}

Lauer's father was of Romanian Jewish ancestry, as seen on the Today Show{{'}}s Finding Our Roots.Matt Discovers His Roots on NBC's Today Show. Retrieved August 24, 2008.{{full citation needed|date=November 2017}}{{cite news |work=Jweekly | date=April 18, 2008 |title=Celebrities |last=Bloom |first=Nate |url=https://www.jweekly.com/2008/04/18/celebrities-16/}} Lauer said, "My dad was Jewish. My mom is not. So I was not raised anything. I do feel a desire now to find something spiritual. Getting married and wanting to have kids has something to do with that."{{cite interview |interviewer=Jeffrey Maslow |url=http://www.usaweekend.com/00_issues/000430/000430matt_lauer.html |title=The Lauer Within |first=Matt |last=Lauer |work=USA Weekend | date=April 30, 2000 |access-date=July 17, 2007}}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Lauer earned his undergraduate degree from Ohio University at age 39 in 1997; he had studied at the school's Scripps College of Communication, School of Media Arts and Studies. Lauer had dropped out of the same institution in the spring of 1979{{cite web |url=http://www.ohio.edu/ohiotoday/spring97/lauer.htm |title=Lauer is at ease on 'Today' show hot seat |work=Ohio University Today |date=Spring 1997 |first=Bill |last=Estep |access-date=February 14, 2011 |archive-date=October 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002054935/http://www.ohio.edu/ohiotoday/spring97/lauer.htm |url-status=dead }} to begin his television career, after he was hired as a producer of the noon newscast for WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia. By 1980, Lauer had become an on-air reporter for the station's 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Lauer then moved around the East Coast, hosting a number of daily information and talk programs.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna44961883 |title=Matt Lauer – Rock Center with Brian Williams |date=2013 |publisher=NBC News}} He was a co-host of PM Magazine in several cities, beginning in Richmond (1980–1981), then Providence (1981–1984),{{cite web |title=Fates & Fortunes–Programing |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/81-OCR/1981-11-09-BC-OCR-Page-0093.pdf |periodical=Broadcasting |page=93 |date=November 9, 1981 |access-date=April 27, 2019}} and then New York City (1984–1986). After the New York edition of PM Magazine was canceled by WNYW in 1986, Lauer and co-host Jill Rappaport worked on a new show for the station, Made in New York, which ran for fifteen weeks.{{cite web |title=Fine tuning the Fox stations |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/86-OCR/BC-1986-11-17-OCR-Page-0050.pdf |periodical=Broadcasting |page=50 |date=November 17, 1986 |access-date=April 27, 2019}} Following this, Lauer gained his first national television exposure when he joined Robin Leach co-hosting ABC's short-lived daytime series Fame, Fortune and Romance, a spin-off of the syndicated Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.{{cite web |title=Matt Lauer Sees a Serious Place |author-link=Virginia Heffernan |last=Heffernan |first=Virginia |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2003/05/matt_lauer_sees_a_serious_place.html |work=Slate | date=May 9, 2003}} Lauer then returned to local television, hosting programs in Philadelphia and Boston from 1987 to 1989, reporting for ESPN and anchoring entertainment news segments for HBO.{{cite web |title=Fates & Fortunes–News and public affairs |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/88-OCR/BC-1988-05-30-OCR-Page-0077.pdf |periodical=Broadcasting |page=77 |date=May 30, 1988 |access-date=April 27, 2019}}

In September 1989, Lauer returned to New York City, this time to WWOR, and built his career and fame, where he hosted 9 Broadcast Plaza, a three-hour live interview program.{{cite web |title=Fates & Fortunes–Programing |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/89-OCR/BC-1989-09-25-OCR-Page-0070.pdf |periodical=Broadcasting |page=68 |date=September 25, 1989 |access-date=April 27, 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://www.today.com/id/3079110/site/todayshow/ns/today/t/matt-lauer/ |title=Matt Lauer |date=January 5, 2012 |access-date=February 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209091630/http://www.today.com/id/3079110/site/todayshow/ns/today/t/matt-lauer/ |archive-date=February 9, 2014 |url-status=dead }} Lauer departed that series as it took a turn in booking "tabloid" guests and topics, and for what he relayed as a refusal to live-read ads on the show for Dial-a-Mattress.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/02/09/tv/for-today-new-chemistry-as-lauer-with-his-easy-style-steps-into-a-coveted-spot.html |title=For 'Today,' New Chemistry as Lauer, With His Easy Style, Steps into a Coveted Spot |last=Bumiller |first=Elisabeth |date=February 9, 1997 |work=The New York Times | access-date=November 29, 2017}}{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}} WWOR-TV replaced Lauer with various guest hosts Buzz Luttrell Robb Weller, Robin Leach, Steve Edwards, Weird Al Yankovic, Howard Stern, Richard Bey, and 9 Broadcast Plaza eventually morphed into The Richard Bey Show.

At this time, Lauer was also the original primary host of a Cinemax interstitial show, called Beyond the Screen (1988–1997; it was interstitial because the show aired on interstitial breaks between programs), which was popular on Cinemax, causing them to topple HBO in the ratings. In this show, Matt, and many other hosts, would interview many celebrities such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, Talia Shire, Selma Blair, Jerry Seinfeld, Annabella Sciorra, Kirsten Dunst, EPMD, Tupac, John Singleton, Samuel L. Jackson, Sean Nelson, and many others, for their upcoming movies. The Godfather Part III, GoodFellas, Juice, and Fresh, were among the movies that had their behind-the-scenes featurette premieres on Cinemax, via this show.

In 1990, Lauer was hired by the Kushner-Locke Company to host a pilot called Day in Court, executive-produced by veteran producer David Sams, who helped to launch The Oprah Winfrey Show into national syndication. The program was retitled Trial Watch when it went to series and ran on the NBC network for two seasons. NBC hired Robb Weller as host over Lauer when the program was picked up as a daily series.{{Citation needed|date=June 2021}} That same year, Lauer filmed a pilot for the World Wrestling Federation's bodybuilding spinoff, the World Bodybuilding Federation for USA Network known as WBF BodyStars, though WWF owner/chairman Vince McMahon later decided to host the program himself.{{cite book |last1=Assael |first1=Shaun |last2=Mooneyham |first2=Mike |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xi1-scyOfaEC |title=Sex, Lies, and Headlocks: The Real Story of Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment |publisher=Crown/Archetype |page=117 |isbn=978-0-307-75813-2 |access-date=November 29, 2017 |date=November 3, 2010}} In 1991, Lauer appeared as the co-host (along with Willow Bay) of Etc., Etc., a show on the Travel Channel.

File:Matt Lauer talks with President George W. Bush and Laura Bush.jpg and First Lady Laura Bush in 2005]]

File:Vladimir Putin with Matt Lauder.jpg prior to the 32nd G8 summit in Saint Petersburg in 2006|alt=Two men shaking hands]]

Lauer joined NBC in 1992 when he became co-anchor of the early weekday news show Today in New York on the network's New York flagship station WNBC. The following year, Lauer filled the role of Live at Five co-anchor with Sue Simmons, eventually taking the role permanently and giving up the morning shift by 1994; he was replaced on Today in New York by Maurice DuBois. Lauer remained on Live at Five until 1996.

File:Hires 090402-N-0696M-018b.jpg, May 2009]]

Lauer's on-camera presence would soon provide him many opportunities with NBC News.{{cite web |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/in-her-final-newscast-sue-simmons-makes-it-clear-she-doesnt-want-to-leave_b52079 |title=In Her Final Newscast, Sue Simmons Makes It Clear She Doesn't Want to Leave |work=Media Bistro}} Lauer filled in as the newsreader on The Today Show for Margaret Larson when needed from 1992 to 1993. This "audition" period allowed him to join The Today Show full-time in January 1994 as a news anchor while still co-anchoring Today in New York and Live at Five.

Lauer stepped in for Scott Simon, Mike Schneider, Jack Ford and David Bloom as the co-host of Weekend Today, and for Ann Curry as anchor of the former NBC News program NBC News at Sunrise from 1992 to 1997.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4515786 |title=Ann Curry |website=NBC News | date=June 26, 2013}} He had also filled in for Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News. As the Today Show news anchor, Lauer also substituted for Bryant Gumbel on the Today Show before being named the official co-anchor on January 6, 1997, after Gumbel stepped down.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3079110 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040217192133/http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3079110/ |url-status=live |archive-date=February 17, 2004 |title=Matt Lauer, co-anchor|website=NBC News }} On top of Lauer's duties on The Today Show, Lauer also hosted programming on Discovery Channel[http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=b57520d3-4a9d-40e3-93b3-40d1cd0264c7 Matt Lauer – Profile, Latest News and Related Articles] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080419075833/http://www.eonline.com/celebrities/profile/index.jsp?uuid=b57520d3-4a9d-40e3-93b3-40d1cd0264c7 |date=April 19, 2008 }} and MSNBC.

From 1998 until 2011, Lauer embarked on what was generally an annual five-day, globe-spanning adventure called Where in the World is Matt Lauer? on the Today Show during TV sweeps.{{Cite web |last=O'Connell |first=Mikey |date=October 17, 2011 |title='Today' Reviving 'Where in the World is Matt Lauer?' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/where-in-the-world-is-matt-lauer-today-249411/ |access-date=June 3, 2021 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} The segment was named after the PBS game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? from which it borrowed the theme song. This segment sent Lauer to various locations worldwide, from where he reported on the importance of each location. Lauer broadcast from locations including Bhutan, Easter Island, the Panama Canal, Iran, Hong Kong, Croatia, and the Great Wall of China.MSNBC, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070423025032/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041544/ "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?"] In 2011, NBC News postponed the segment in consideration of the stagnant, unstable U.S. economy.{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/13/where-in-the-world-is-mat_0_n_174736.html |work=The Huffington Post |title='Where in the World Is Matt Lauer?' Postponed Due To Economy |date=March 13, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924045855/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/13/where-in-the-world-is-mat_0_n_174736.html |archive-date=September 24, 2015}}

On some occasions, Lauer conducted interviews that escalated into tense exchanges. During a June 2005 interview with Tom Cruise, Lauer argued with Cruise about psychiatry and postpartum depression, and Cruise called Lauer "glib."{{cite web |url=http://www.today.com/id/8344309/site/todayshow/ns/today-entertainment/t/tense-moment-cruise-calls-lauer-glib/ |title=In tense moment, Cruise calls Lauer 'glib' |date=June 28, 2005}} In December 2008, Cruise said he regretted the exchange.{{cite web |last=Celizic |first=Mike |url=https://www.today.com/news/cruise-under-control-actor-says-i-learned-lesson-wbna28162646 |title='Three years after notorious Scientology rant, "I'm here to entertain people"' |publisher=Today.com |date=December 15, 2008 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}

On June 19, 2007, Lauer interviewed Prince William and Prince Harry on the tenth anniversary of the death of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.{{cite news |first=Matt |last=Lauer |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19190534 |title=In Honor of Diana: Two Princes Speak on the 10th Anniversary of Their Mother's Death |type=Transcript of interview (updated) |website=NBC News |date=June 19, 2007 |access-date=July 17, 2007}}

Between 1998 and 2017, Lauer co-hosted NBC's live coverage of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.{{cite news |last1=Wichter |first1=Zach |title=Parade Watchers Are Thankful for Matt Lauer's Absence |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/business/media/parade-watchers-are-thankful-for-matt-lauers-absence.html |website=The New York Times | date=November 22, 2018 |access-date=December 16, 2021}}

Lauer co-hosted the opening ceremonies of several Olympic Games, carrying on what his former co-host Katie Couric had done since the 2000 Summer Olympics. Lauer co-hosted the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics, the 2010 Winter Olympics, the 2012 Summer Olympics, the 2014 Winter Olympics, and the 2016 Summer Olympics. His commentary on the 2012 opening ceremonies, along with that of co-hosts Meredith Vieira and Bob Costas, came under fierce criticism, being described as "ignorant" and "banal".{{cite web |first=Steve |last=Huff |url=http://observer.com/2012/07/nbcs-broadcast-of-the-olympics-opening-ceremony-was-the-worst-video/ |title=NBC's Broadcast of the Olympics Opening Ceremony Was the Worst |newspaper=The Observer | date=July 28, 2012 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/07/28/157521409/the-opening-ceremonies-in-london-from-the-industrial-revolution-to-voldemort |title=The Opening Ceremonies in London from the Industrial Revolution to Voldemort |website=NPR | date=July 27, 2012 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}{{cite web |first=Emma G. |last=Keller |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/us-news-blog/2012/jul/28/nbc-olympics-opening-ceremony |title=NBC Olympics Opening Ceremony |work=The Guardian | date=July 28, 2012 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}

On April 5, 2012, Lauer announced that he had signed a new contract with NBC News through 2017. Forbes estimated that the contract paid Lauer $25 million a year.{{cite web |url=http://www.newsweek.com/lauer-net-worth-salary-millions-725524 |title=Matt Lauer's firing will cost him millions of dollars |date=November 29, 2017 |work=Newsweek}}

It has been widely reported that Lauer had influenced co-anchor Ann Curry's departure from The Today Show, executed by its executive producer Jim Bell under the name "Operation Bambi."{{cite web |first=Joe |last=Coscarelli |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/04/how-why-nbc-kicked-ann-curry-off-today.html |title='Operation Bambi': How and Why NBC Kicked Ann Curry Off Today |work=New York | date=April 18, 2013}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/magazine/who-can-save-the-today-show.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times | first=Brian |last=Stelter |title=Who Can Save the 'Today' Show? |date=April 18, 2013}}

During the 2014 Winter Olympics, Lauer replaced prime-time host Bob Costas from February 11–14, after Costas suffered a major eye infection.{{cite web |last1=Conaboy |first1=Kelly |title=An Oral History of Bob Costas Having Pink Eye at the Olympics |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/oral-history-bob-costas-pink-eye-olympics-sochi.html |website=vulture.com |date=February 16, 2018 |publisher=Vox Media, LLC. |access-date=December 16, 2021}}

In November 2015, Lauer hosted an interview with Charlie Sheen, during which Sheen revealed that he was HIV-positive.{{cite web |url=http://www.today.com/health/charlie-sheen-reveals-hes-hiv-positive-today-show-exclusive-t56391 |website=Today | date=November 17, 2015 |title=Charlie Sheen reveals he's HIV positive in TODAY Show exclusive |first=Eun Kyung |last=Kim}}

On September 8, 2016, Lauer conducted separate 30-minute interviews with presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, both of which were met with much criticism. Lauer devoted much of the Clinton interview to questions about her e-mail server and, according to critics, appeared to rush through audience-led topics such as domestic terror attacks and veterans' affairs, implying that there was not enough time to cover these in detail. Many also felt that Lauer failed to challenge Trump on alleged inaccuracies, such as his statement that he was "totally against the war in Iraq," which other sources called "lies."{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/08/us/politics/matt-lauer-forum.html |title=Matt Lauer Fields Storm of Criticism Over Clinton-Trump Forum |last=Grynbaum |first=Michael M. |work=The New York Times |date=September 8, 2016}}{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/09/arts/television/matt-lauer-presidential-election-hillary-clinton-donald-trump.html |title=Critic's Notebook: Matt Lauer Loses the War in a Battle Between the Candidates |last=Poniewozik |first=James |work=The New York Times |date=September 8, 2016}}{{cite web |url=https://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/09/lauers-pathetic-interview-made-me-think-trump-can-win.html |title=Matt Lauer's Pathetic Interview of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Is the Scariest Thing I've Seen in This Campaign |last=Chait |first=Jonathan |work=New York | date=September 7, 2016 |author-link=Jonathan Chait}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37305655 |department=US election 2016 |title=Forum moderator Lauer suffers media backlash |publisher=BBC |date=September 8, 2016}} CNN reported that the short amount of time for the interviews, the short notice with which they were conducted, and the small amount of audience questions were a major reason for the poor reviews.{{cite web |last=Stelter |first=Brian |url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/08/media/nbc-news-forum-trump-clinton-postmortem/ |title=Behind the scenes, NBC execs concede Matt Lauer forum performance was "disaster" |publisher=CNN |date=September 8, 2016 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}

On November 30, 2016, it was revealed that Lauer had signed a new contract up to 2018.{{cite web |work=Los Angeles Times | url=https://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-matt-lauer-today-20161130-story.html |title=Matt Lauer signs on for more 'Today' through 2018 |first=Stephen |last=Battaglio |date=November 30, 2016}} Variety reported that his salary was $20 million per year.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/harvey-weinstein-scandal/nbc-news-fires-today-anchor-matt-lauer-after-sexual-misconduct-n824831 |title=NBC News fires Matt Lauer after sexual misconduct review |publisher=NBC News |access-date=November 29, 2017}} On January 6, 2017, Lauer celebrated his 20th anniversary on The Today Show with a look back at some of his most memorable moments on the show.{{cite news |url=http://www.today.com/video/matt-lauer-s-20-years-on-today-see-the-most-memorable-moments-849027651802 |title=Matt Lauer's 20 years on TODAY: See the most memorable moments |newspaper=TODAY.com |date=January 6, 2017 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}{{cite web |url=http://www.today.com/video/see-savannah-guthrie-and-dylan-dreyer-s-20th-anniversary-surprise-for-matt-lauer-849040963920 |title=See Savannah Guthrie and Dylan Dreyer's 20th anniversary surprise for Matt Lauer |publisher=TODAY.com |date=January 6, 2017 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}

{{See also|MeToo movement}}

File:Paul Ryan joint address 06.jpg in February 2017]]

In 2008, Lauer was the subject of a roast by the New York Friars Club where several of his colleagues made jokes about his reputation for having relationships with his staff.{{cite web |last1=Gardner |first1=Abby |title=The Jokes Made at a 2008 'Secret" Matt Lauer Roast Will Turn Your Stomach |url=https://www.glamour.com/story/the-jokes-made-at-2008-secret-matt-lauer-roast-will-turn-your-stomach |website=Glamour.com |date=December 7, 2017 |publisher=Conde Nast |access-date=October 20, 2019}}

On November 29, 2017, NBC News announced that Lauer's employment had been terminated after an unidentified female NBC employee reported that Lauer had sexually harassed her during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and that the harassment continued after they returned to New York.{{cite news |author=Us Weekly staff |title=Matt Lauer Allegedly Sexually Harassed Colleague During 2014 Sochi Olympics: Report |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/matt-lauer-allegedly-sexually-assaulted-colleague-during-2014-sochi-olympics-report/ |magazine=Us Weekly | date=November 29, 2017 |access-date=December 4, 2017}} Andrew Lack, chairman of NBC News, sent a memorandum to his staff that said, in part, "On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. ... 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."{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/11/29/news/lack-statement-lauer/index.html |title=Read Andy Lack's statement on Matt Lauer's firing |publisher=CNN | date=November 29, 2017 |access-date=December 2, 2017}} A network executive said Lauer would not receive any form of monetary settlement because he was fired "for cause".{{cite news |last1=Gosk |first1=Stephanie |last2=Siemaszko |first2=Corky |last3=Rappleye |first3=Hannah |title=Matt Lauer denied sex misconduct to NBC officials before scandal broke |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/nbc-news-conducting-review-after-matt-lauer-sex-misconduct-scandal-n825716 |publisher=NBC News |date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=December 4, 2017}} Lauer's last day on air was November 28, 2017. His contract had been scheduled to run through the end of 2018.{{cite news |last=Farhi |first=Paul |title=NBC: Lauer said he was 'racking his brain' but came up blank when asked about harassment |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/nbc-lauer-said-he-was-racking-his-brain-but-came-up-blank-when-asked-about-harassment/2017/12/01/23fc8a52-d6ed-11e7-a986-d0a9770d9a3e_story.html |newspaper=The Washington Post | date=December 1, 2017 |access-date=December 4, 2017}}

NBC News management said it had been aware that The New York Times and Variety had been conducting independent investigations of Lauer's behavior,{{cite web |last1=de Morales |first1=Lisa |title=Two More Complaints Against Matt Lauer Filed Wednesday: Report |url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/matt-lauer-two-more-complaints-sexual-harassment-1202216962/ |website=Deadline | date=November 29, 2017 |access-date=November 30, 2017}} but that management had been unaware of previous allegations against Lauer.{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-mattlauer/nbc-news-fired-today-show-co-host-matt-lauer-for-sexual-misconduct-idUSKBN1DT1NY |title=NBC News fires 'Today' co-host Matt Lauer for sexual misconduct |last1=Cherelus |first1=Gina |last2=Allen |first2=Jonathan |publisher=Reuters | access-date=November 29, 2017}} Later reporting disputed this; Linda Vester, a former NBC News correspondent, said that management had to have known and that "everybody knew" that Lauer was dangerous.{{cite web |access-date=October 19, 2019 |title=Former NBC News correspondent Linda Vester blasts network for Matt Lauer probe: 'We all knew Matt was dangerous' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/former-nbc-news-correspondent-linda-vester-blasts-network-for-matt-lauer-probe-we-all-knew-matt-was-dangerous-165954734.html |website=www.yahoo.com|date=October 17, 2019 }} In the 2019 book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, Ronan Farrow cited multiple sources who stated that NBC News was not only aware of Lauer's misconduct beforehand, but that Harvey Weinstein used this knowledge to pressure the program into killing a story that would have outed his own sexual assaults.{{cite web |access-date=October 19, 2019 |title=Harvey Weinstein threatened to expose Matt Lauer in 2017 if NBC didn't kill misconduct story: Ronan Farrow |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/harvey-weinstein-threatened-to-expose-matt-lauer-in-2017-if-nbc-didnt-kill-misconduct-story-ronan-farrow-182241549.html |website=www.yahoo.com|date=October 17, 2019 }}{{cite magazine |access-date=October 19, 2019 |title="Stand Down": Ronan Farrow's Producer on How NBC Killed Its Weinstein Story |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2019/10/how-nbc-killed-its-weinstein-story |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=October 11, 2019}} Variety reported allegations by at least ten of Lauer's current and former colleagues.{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/matt-lauer-accused-sexual-harassment-multiple-women-1202625959/ |title=Matt Lauer Accused of Sexual Harassment by Multiple Women (Exclusive) |last1=Setoodeh |first1=Ramin |last2=Wagmeister |first2=Elizabeth |date=November 29, 2017 |access-date=December 3, 2017 |work=Variety}} Additional accusations went public in the ensuing days.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/matt-lauer-two-more-complaints-sexual-harassment-1202216962/ |title=Two More Complaints Against Matt Lauer: Report |date=November 29, 2017 |publisher=Deadline | access-date=November 30, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/11/30/matt-lauer-releases-statement-after-firing-there-no-words-express-my-sorrow/908287001/ |title=Matt Lauer scandal: There may be as many as 8 victims, Lauer breaks his silence |last=Jensen |first=Ellen |access-date=November 30, 2017 |work=USA Today}} NBC acknowledged three additional cases from 2000 to 2007.{{cite news |first=David |last=Usborne |title=THE PEACOCK PATRIARCHY |url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a22627827/matt-lauer-nbc-me-too/ |access-date=August 7, 2018 |work=Esquire | date=August 6, 2018 |quote=The seven-page report noted that "within two weeks" of Lauer's firing, the company received information about "three additional women" who'd been inappropriately approached by him dating back to 2000, 2001, and 2007, respectively.}}

In Catch and Kill, Farrow reveals one of the alleged victims as Brooke Nevils, who says Lauer anally raped her in his hotel room while the two were in Sochi covering the 2014 Winter Olympics for NBC. Farrow also writes in his book that Nevils had additional sexual encounters with Lauer after the initial incident, but she characterized those encounters as "transactional", and consented only out of fear that Lauer had control over her career.{{cite news |title=Ronan Farrow Book Alleges Matt Lauer Raped NBC News Colleague |url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/matt-lauer-rape-nbc-ronan-farrow-book-catch-kill-1203364485/ |date=October 8, 2019 |first1=Kate |last1=Aurthur |first2=Ramin |last2=Setoodeh |magazine=Variety}}

In a statement made after his firing, Lauer apologized for his actions, saying, "Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed."{{cite magazine |last1=Steinberg |first1=Brian |title=Matt Lauer Responds to Harassment Claims: 'There Is Enough Truth in These Stories' |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/matt-lauer-statement-today-sexual-harassment-1202626847/ |magazine=Variety | date=November 29, 2017 |access-date=November 30, 2017}} Following Nevils' allegation of sexual assault that was published in Farrow's book, Lauer issued an open letter confirming that he had a consensual sexual relationship with Nevils and that the relationship started in 2014 in Sochi, but denying that the initial encounter was non-consensual.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending-now/matt-lauer-accused-of-raping-colleague-in-new-ronan-farrow-book-report-claims/995409460 |title=Matt Lauer calls ex-NBC staffer's rape allegation 'categorically false' |date=October 9, 2019 |agency=Cox Media Group}}

Two weeks after Lauer's firing, Addie Zinone, a former Today production assistant, made an additional accusation, saying that she had a consensual sexual relationship with Lauer in June 2000. Zinone claimed that the relationship was an "abuse of power" on Lauer's part because Zinone said that she felt that turning down Lauer's advances would have hurt her career.{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/sexual-misconduct/addie-zinone-matt-lauer-relationship-was-abuse-power-n830721 |title=Addie Zinone: Matt Lauer relationship was 'an abuse of power' |date=December 18, 2017 |website=NBC News | first1=Elizabeth |last1=Chuck |first2=Dartunorro |last2=Clark}}{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/matt-lauer-today-secret-relationship-production-assistant-1202641040/ |title=Inside Matt Lauer's Secret Relationship with a 'Today' Production Assistant (Exclusive) |date=December 14, 2017 |first=Ramin |last=Setoodeh |work=Variety}}

According to Farrow, Today show booker Melissa Lonner claims that Lauer exposed himself to her in 2010 at an NBC cocktail party. He denies this claim and, through his lawyer, said, "he will not take part in the marketing circus of this book."{{cite web |last1=Nash |first1=Charlie |title=NBC Staffer Claims Matt Lauer Exposed Himself to her at a Party |url=https://www.mediaite.com/news/ex-nbc-staffer-claims-matt-lauer-exposed-himself/ |website=Mediaite.com |date=October 15, 2019 |access-date=October 15, 2019}}

Lauer made several guest appearances on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.

Lauer made a guest appearance as himself on a live episode of Will & Grace in early 2006.{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/shows/will-and-grace/bathroom-humor-615541/ |title=Will & Grace: Bathroom Humor |work=TV.com |access-date=February 17, 2013 |archive-date=March 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130303020126/http://www.tv.com/shows/will-and-grace/bathroom-humor-615541/ |url-status=dead }}

In November 2006, Lauer and his daughter, Romy, hosted the Sesame Street direct-to-DVD show Sesame Beginnings: Exploring Together.{{cite web |url=http://www.tv.com/people/matt-lauer/ |title=Matt Lauer |publisher=TV.com |access-date=November 11, 2016 |archive-date=November 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112091511/http://www.tv.com/people/matt-lauer/ |url-status=dead }} Lauer hosted The Greatest American on the Discovery Channel, which used internet and telephone voting by viewers to select the winner. Lauer was critical of his program since it tended to favor well-known figures over others who had less influence in pop culture.{{cite web |url=http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x3520573 |title=Greatest American on Discovery Channel outrage |work=Democratic Underground |access-date=November 29, 2017}}

Lauer served as the 2009 Class Day speaker at Harvard University's undergraduate commencement ceremonies on June 3, 2009.{{cite web |url=http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/06/matt-lauer-anchors-class-day-festivities/ |title=Matt Lauer anchors Class Day festivities |date=June 4, 2009}}

Lauer has appeared as himself in the 2009 film Land of the Lost, the 2011 film The Beaver and voiced reporter Hark Hanson in the direct–to–DVD animated sequel Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! Lauer also made appearances in the 2011 films Drew Peterson: Untouchable and Tower Heist; archival footage of Lauer is shown in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton and the 2017 films Lady Bird and I, Tonya.{{cite web |url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/matt-lauer-ready-for-his-new-land-of-the-lost-catch-phrase_article_18823 |title=Matt Lauer Ready For His New 'Land of the Lost' Catch-Phrase}}{{cite news |last1=Bueno |first1=Antoinette |title=Matt Lauer Appears in Both 'I, Tonya' and 'Lady Bird' Amid Sexual Misconduct Scandal |url=https://www.etonline.com/matt-lauer-appears-both-i-tonya-and-lady-bird-amid-sexual-misconduct-scandal-92295 |work=Entertainment Tonight |date=December 7, 2017 |language=en}} He also appeared as himself in the TV movies Sharknado 2: The Second One and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!{{cite web |author=Chris Serico |url=http://www.today.com/popculture/sharknado-3-today-anchors-make-cameos-syfy-sequel-t29211 |title=Today.com |publisher=Today.com |date=June 29, 2015 |access-date=November 29, 2017}}

• 1979–1980: News producer and reporter, WOWK-TV, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1980–1981: Co-host, PM Magazine, WXEX-TV, Richmond, Virginia{{cite web |url=https://www.wric.com/news/former-co-host-of-richmond-tv-show-matt-lauer-was-only-a-gentleman_20180326070611314/1078085675 |title=Former host of Richmond TV show: Matt Lauer was only a gentleman |last=Armbruster |first=Will |date=November 25, 2017 |website=www.wric.com |publisher=WRIC-TV | access-date=April 27, 2019}}
• 1981–1984: Co-host, PM Magazine, WJAR-TV, Providence, Rhode Island
• 1984–1986: Co-host, PM Magazine, WNEW-TV, New York City
• 1986: Co-host, Made in New York, WNYW, New York City
• 1986–1987: Co-host, Fame, Fortune and Romance, ABC
• 1987–1988: Host, Live on City Line, WCAU-TV, Philadelphia
• 1988–1989: Host, Talk of the Town, WNEV-TV, Boston
• 1989–1991: Co-host, 9 Broadcast Plaza, WWOR-TV, Secaucus, New Jersey
• 1992–1996: Various positions at WNBC-TV, New York City
• September 1992 – September 1994: Today in New York co-anchor
• August 1993 – September 1996: early evening newscast Live at Five co-anchor
• 1992–2017: Various positions at NBC News, New York City
• 1992–1997: fill-in anchor on Weekend Today and NBC News at Sunrise
• 1993–1994: Today fill-in news anchor
• June 13, 1994 – January 3, 1997: Today news anchor
• January 6, 1997 – November 28, 2017: Today co-anchor
• 1997–2017: Dateline NBC contributing anchor
• 1998–2016: Christmas in Rockefeller Center host
• 1998–2017: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade host
• 2011–2013: Rock Center with Brian Williams correspondent

File:Annette Roque Matt Lauer 2012 Shankbone.JPG at the 2012 Time 100 gala]]

Lauer is the grandson of singer Art Gentry. Lauer was married to television producer Nancy Alspaugh from 1982 to 1989.{{cite web |url=http://liverampup.com/entertainment/nbc-s-matt-lauer-family-life-affairs-wife-and-divorce.html |title=NBC's Matt Lauer Family life: Affairs, Wife, and Divorce |website=Liverampup.com |date=April 9, 2017 |access-date=November 29, 2017}} They had no children. He later married Dutch model Annette Roque, whom he met on a blind date in July 1997. Lauer proposed to Roque after five months of dating, and the two wed in Bridgehampton, New York on October 3, 1998.{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Gliatto |url=http://people.com/archive/today-and-forever-vol-50-no-14 |title=Matt Lauer Annette Roque Wedding |work=People | date=October 19, 1998 |access-date=November 29, 2017}} They have three children together.{{cite web |url=https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/matt-lauer-kids-153361 |title=Matt Lauer Is a Dad-of-Three – Learn All About His Kids! |work=Closer Weekly |first=Sammantha |last=Faragalli |date=February 7, 2018 |access-date=May 19, 2018}}{{cite web |first=Sam |last=Dangremond |url=http://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/g13987884/annette-roque-matt-lauer-wife-facts/ |title=8 Things to Know About Matt Lauer's Wife, Annette Roque |work=Town & Country | date=December 21, 2017 |access-date=December 25, 2017}}{{cite news |url=http://people.com/celebrity/matt-lauer-wife-welcome-a-boy/ |title=Matt Lauer, Wife Welcome A Boy |first1=K.C. |last1=Baker |first2=Tim |last2=Nudd |work=People | date=November 28, 2006 |access-date=January 12, 2018}}{{cite web |first=Natalie |last=Stone |url=http://people.com/tv/matt-lauer-annette-roque-are-barely-speaking/ |title=Matt Lauer and Wife Annette 'Barely Speaking' as They Prepare to Divorce After 20 Years: Source |work=People | date=May 9, 2018}}

In 2006, while pregnant, Roque filed for divorce alleging "mental abuse, extreme mental and emotional distress, humiliation, torment, and anxiety" by Lauer. They reconciled weeks later.{{cite web |last1=Relman |first1=Eliza |title=Matt Lauer Has Been Married for 19 Years to a Dutch Former Model, Who Reportedly Filed for Divorce in 2006 |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-annette-roque-lauer-matt-lauer-wife-divorce-2017-11 |website=Business Insider | date=November 29, 2017 |access-date=October 21, 2019}} On September 7, 2019, Lauer and Roque officially divorced, following nearly two years of separation in the wake of his 2017 sexual harassment allegations.{{cite magazine |first1=Charlotte |last1=Triggs |first2=Eric |last2=Todisco |url=https://people.com/tv/matt-lauer-annette-roque-finalize-divorce/ |title=Matt Lauer and Annette Roque Finalize Divorce, Are 'Focused on Their Three Children': Source |magazine=People | date=September 6, 2019 |accessdate=May 13, 2022}}

Since his firing, Lauer has been living on his farm in New Zealand.{{Cite news |last1=Roy |first1=Eleanor Ainge |last2=Jong |first2=Eleanor de |date=July 23, 2018 |title=Former NBC host Matt Lauer in fight with New Zealand hikers over access to land |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/23/former-nbc-host-matt-lauer-in-fight-with-new-zealand-hikers-over-access-to-land |access-date=February 6, 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}

{{Clear}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114051158/https://www.today.com/about/matt-lauer-co-anchor-t102933 |date=January 14, 2017 |title=Matt Lauer co-anchor bio at Today}}
• {{IMDb name|id=0005126}}
• {{C-SPAN|31982}}

{{S-start}}

{{S-media}}

{{succession box

| title = Today Co-Anchor

| years = January 6, 1997 – November 28, 2017
with Katie Couric 1997–2006
Meredith Vieira 2006–2011
Ann Curry 2011–2012
and Savannah Guthrie 2012–2017

| before = Bryant Gumbel

| after = Hoda Kotb

}}

{{S-end}}

{{Authority control|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lauer, Matt}}

Category:1957 births

Category:20th-century American journalists

Category:21st-century American journalists

Category:American male journalists

Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent

Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners

Category:Living people

Category:NBC News people

Category:New York (state) television reporters

Category:News & Documentary Emmy Award winners

Category:Ohio University alumni

Category:People from Greenwich, Connecticut

Category:Television anchors from Boston

Category:Television anchors from New York City

Category:Television anchors from Philadelphia