Matt Lauer, the former host of ‘The Today Show’, has recently issued a statement relating to the sexual misconduct allegations he has faced in recent weeks. Lauer had originally joined ‘The Today Show’ as a news anchor in 1994 before getting promoted to the host of the show in 1997. He held his position until November 2017. His contract with NBC was terminated by Andrew Lack, the network’s chairman, on November 29, 2017, when it came to light that an allegation of sexual misconduct had been made against him.
The allegation was made by one of Lauer’s female colleagues, although her identity has not been revealed. She claims that the television host had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with her. As a result, Lauer was fired from ‘The Today Show’. Sadly, this is not the only allegation made against Matt Lauer. Unfortunately, further allegations have been revealed. After Lauer was fired from ‘The Today Show’, both The New York Times and Variety have revealed that they were conducting ongoing investigations into alleged incidents of sexual harassment. These allegations relate to multiple women and have been ongoing since 2014.
There has been a wave of sexual harassment and misconduct allegations against American celebrities in recent months. In most instances, the men have vehemently denied any wrongdoing. This is not the case with Matt Lauer as he has admitted that many of the allegations are true. When it became public knowledge that Lauer was facing sexual misconduct and harassment allegations and that he had been fired from his job, he issued a public statement regarding the matter.
In his statement, Lauer apologizes for any upset and harm he has caused by his actions. He said that many aspects of the allegations were untrue and completely out of character for him. However, he went on to say that there is enough truth in the claims that have been made to make him feel embarrassed and ashamed of his own behavior. So far his admission it’s exactly going over well on social media as many celebrities have come forward tweeting that “no free pass” shall ever be given.
One person who is likely to feel hurt by the allegations and the behavior of Lauer is his wife, Annette Roque. He has been married to Roque since 1998. They had their first son, Jack Matthew, in 2001 followed by their daughter, Romy, in 2004. The couple briefly separated in 2006 while Roque was pregnant with their third child and Roque had even filed for divorce. However, they later reconciled before their second son was born in November 2006. This is Lauer’s second marriage as he was married to television producer Nancy Alspaugh from 1981 to 1988. It’s curious to note that Alspaugh has actually been one of Lauer’s supporters during this time.
It seems that the ordeal for Lauer and his family is not yet over as women are continuing to come forward and make further allegations. As soon as the situation at NBC became public, several women filed official complaints against Lauer. So far, as many as eight women are believed to have made an allegation of sexual harassment or misconduct. Some of those who have come forward have said they have already made complaints to executives at NBC and their complaints were ignored. NBC denies that this is the case.
P.S. Lauer is now currently seeking a $30 million settlement with NBC. He was reportedly seen handing documents to his lawyer in East Hampton. However, given his morality clause it’s highly likely he never sees that money.
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