Lauer in studio on June 30, 2017.
By Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images.
Shocking new allegations have emerged about the sexual misconduct scandal that is quickly enveloping Matt Lauer. On Wednesday, mere hours after NBC announced that it had fired the Today anchor because of a complaint about alleged sexual misconduct, Variety has dropped a report with hideous allegations about the TV star’s alleged behavior. The claims run the gamut: he made lewd sexual remarks about female colleagues; he once invited a female employee to his secluded office, then showed her his penis; he gave one female colleague a sex toy with “an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her,” Variety writes.
The allegations don’t stop there. Lauer would also reportedly quiz female producers about their sex lives, and play a crass, office-themed version of the game “fuck, marry, or kill.” He also reportedly had a button on his desk that allowed him to lock the door; two women tell Variety that it enabled him to “welcome female employees and initiate inappropriate contact while knowing nobody could walk in on him.” One former producer “who knew firsthand of these encounters” also told Variety that Lauer, who is married, allegedly cheated on his wife.
“There were a lot of consensual relationships, but that’s still a problem because of the power he held,” this person said. “He couldn’t sleep around town with celebrities or on the road with random people, because he’s Matt Lauer and he’s married. So he’d have to do it within his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn’t ever complain.”
Representatives for Lauer have not yet responded to Vanity Fair’s request for comment. Variety notes that he could not be reached for comment. The piece is the result of a two-month investigation which stretches back before The New York Times dropped its stunning Harvey Weinstein piece, which kicked off the sexual misconduct reckoning in Hollywood and beyond. Like Weinstein prior to the controversy, Lauer is a powerful figure in the entertainment industry. He’s been the face of the Today show for years, raking in an incredibly lucrative $25-million annual salary, per Variety. That’s why it was a shock for industry insiders to learn that NBC fired him so quickly, before any bombshell investigative report broke the alleged scandal.
Shortly after Variety published its report, the Times published one as well, reporting that NBC had received two additional complaints about Lauer. One was from a former employee who says she had sex with Lauer in his office in 2001. She told the Times, she “felt helpless because she didn’t want to lose her job,” adding that she “didn’t report the encounter at the time because she felt ashamed.”
NBC’s human resources department contacted her on Wednesday regarding the allegations, she said. Representatives for Lauer did not respond to V.F.’s request for comment about this allegation. Reps for Lauer also did not respond to the Times’ request for comment.
The announcement about Lauer’s firing was made Wednesday morning by Today anchor Savannah Guthrie, who read a note on air from NBC News Chairman Andy Lack:
“Dear colleagues, on Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment. 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. Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender. We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organization—and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.”
“I will tell you right now, we do not know more than I have just shared with you,” Guthrie said after delivering the statement, later adding that she was “heartbroken” for Lauer, as well as the women who came forward. “We are grappling with a dilemma that so many people have faced these past few weeks: how do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly? And I don’t know the answer to that.”
Megyn Kelly also addressed the news on the Today show, saying she has known Lauer for years and he has “been a friend, and kind, and supportive.” However, she also folded in a larger point about misconduct in the workplace. “What we don’t see is the pain on the faces of those who found the courage to come forward. And it is a terrifying thing to do. We don’t see the career opportunities women lose because of sexual harassment—or the intense stress it causes a woman dealing with it when she comes to work each day. I am thinking of those women this morning, and hoping they are O.K. The days to come will not be easy.”
The firing has sparked a nationwide discussion, with claims flying about Lauer and his alleged behavior and purported infidelity. It has also inspired renewed interest in his past comments, particularly this 2012 joke segment about sexual harassment, and the controversial departure of Ann Curry, the former Today show anchor who tearfully left the show in 2012. In an interview with People, Curry said she is “still really processing” the news about the allegations, but hopes to see a change in workplace culture. “We need to move this revolution forward and make our workplaces safe. Corporate America is quite clearly failing to do so, and unless it does something to change that, we need to keep doing more ourselves,” she said.
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