NBC fires ‘Today’ anchor Matt Lauer over sexual allegations
Matt Lauer, one of the most famous TV news anchors in the US, has been fired by NBC over an allegation of sexual misconduct, joining the ranks of other titans of American entertainment, journalism and politics who have fallen amid allegations of sexual harassment.
"On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. As a result, we've decided to terminate his employment," Andrew Lack, the NBC News president, said in a memo to the staff on Wednesday.
Lack said this was the first complaint against Lauer in his more than 20 years with NBC but that the network was provided with evidence suggesting this may not have been an isolated incident.
Lauer's co-hosts at the "Today" show, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, told viewers on Wednesday morning that they were processing his departure but did not yet know all of the details.
"This is a sad morning here at Today and NBC News,” said a tearful Guthrie while revealing the news.
Lauer allegedly sexually assaulted a female NBC staffer during the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014, sources told the website Page Six.
Last year, Lauer signed a new contract with the network worth a reported $20 million per year.
The move by NBC represents one of the few examples of a company taking pre-emptive action over sexual harassment complaints before any allegations had become public.
US President Donald Trump took to twitter after the announcement. “Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior' in the workplace," he 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!” referring to the chairman of NBC News.
So now that Matt Lauer is gone when will the Fake News practitioners at NBC be terminating the contract of Phil Griffin? And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the “unsolved mystery” that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017
Trump's tweet prompted some to bring up the president's history of sexual misconduct claims. “Sad to realize that entertainment companies like CBS and NBC have a higher standard for conduct than a lot of voters in America,” Yvette Nicole Brown, American actress and comedian, tweeted.
Last October, Billy Bush was fired from the Today show after a tape emerged of him making lewd comments with Trump in 2005.
Sexual allegations against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein have sparked a wave of sexual harassment and assault revelations in various industries, including in the media and politics.
Last week, CBS sacked Charlie Rose, one of its leading anchors, amid allegations of sexual misconduct. In April, Fox News sacked its best-known presenter, Bill O'Reilly.
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