Following Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s announcement that veteran anchor Matt Lauer had been terminated because of a “inappropriate sexual behavior” accusation from a co-worker, Variety published a shocking report detailing some of Lauer’s alleged behavior. Those accusations include Lauer exposing himself to employees, asking female producers who they’d have sex with, and giving a co-worker a sex toy as a gift along with a detailed description of how he would use it on her.
Several sources told Variety that they often complained to higher-ups about Lauer’s alleged blatant disregard for boundaries, but were often rebuffed because of all the advertising dollars pulled in by the highly rated morning show. As long as the show was a cash cow, Lauer was essentially untouchable.
“Management sucks there,” a former reporter speaking anonymously said. “They protected the shit out of Matt Lauer.”
It’s believed that the network was finally forced to do something about Lauer because of the reckoning of accused sexual abusers in the news media and entertainment industries, including Harvey Weinstein, Louis C.K., and fellow morning show personality Charlie Rose.
Because Lauer was wary of having his extra-marital affairs caught by paparazzi, sources allege that the former Today anchor limited his misconduct to his office at 30 Rockefeller Center and in hotel rooms while traveling on assignment. He also reportedly had a button installed under his desk which locked his office door. From Variety:
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 two women who were sexually harassed by Lauer.
It’s unclear if NBC will continue paying Lauer–who makes a reported $25 million a year–through the rest of his contract, which is set to expire at the end of 2018.
UPDATE: NBC has released a statement:
Statement from NBC News spokesperson regarding the Variety report: “We can say unequivocally, that, prior to Monday night, current NBC News management was never made aware of any complaints about Matt Lauer’s conduct.”
— Tom Kludt (@TomKludt) November 29, 2017
