On Wednesday, November 29th Today Show co-anchor Matt Lauer was released from his position after sexual misconduct allegations were made against him. Mr. Lauer has been a long running host of the morning show for over two decades since taking Bryant Gumbel’s place in 1997. Andrew Lack, the Chairman of the NBC News program was notified about Lauer’s inappropriate behaviors from an employee of the network. Lack took immediate action, firing the co-anchor from his position, stating,
“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.”
It is believed that there were previously other allegations made about the unacceptable behavior.
Before Lauer’s sexual misconduct was exposed, several high profiled men including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, John Lasseter, former president George H.W. Bush, and current president Donald Trump were publicly accused of sexual harassment and assault by several women and men. In response to this incident, President Trump tweeted,
“Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.’ But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News.”
Many have subsequently lashed out against the President, calling him a hypocrite after sexual allegations were made against him during his presidential run.
During a live broadcast of the “Today Show,” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie attempted to hold back her tears as she announced Matt Lauer’s termination to the world. Hoda Kotb, (co-host of the Kathie Lee & Hoda Kobt segment of the show) sat next to Guthrie for support while she (Guthrie) made a statement about Lauer’s leave from the show. The co-anchor said,
“All we can say is that we are heartbroken. I’m heartbroken…How can you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly?”
As of right now, the NBC network has not announced who Lauer’s replacement will be. This is a difficult situation to process, especially for those who have grown up watching Lauer host many beloved events, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. For now, no words are able to describe this jaw dropping and heartbreaking news.