NBC fires ‘Today’ anchor Matt Lauer for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior’
Nov 29, 2017, 5:38 AM | Updated: 11:43 am
(AP Photo)
NBC News has fired longtime anchor Matt Lauer of the “Today” show for inappropriate sexual behavior at the workplace.
Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News. 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. pic.twitter.com/1A3UAZpvPb
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 29, 2017
Co-host Savannah Guthrie made the announcement on Wednesday’s show. Lauer, 59, had anchored the show for 20 years.
The New York Times reported that network news president Andrew Lack said in a memo that they had received a detailed complaint about Lauer’s “inappropriate sexual behavior” at work.
The allegations, the memo continued, “represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.”
Lack added in his statement that it was the first complaint about Lauer in more than 20 years at NBC, but “we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
Lauer’s termination for sexual misconduct comes on the heels of veteran newsman Charlie Rose being fired from “CBS This Morning” last week after he was accused of sexually harassing women he worked with.
Other men in media who have been dismissed from their jobs recently for the same reason include former NBC News analyst Mark Halperin, former Fox News prime-time host Bill O’Reilly and National Public Radio newsroom chief Michael Oreskes.
The New York Times suspended White House correspondent Glenn Thrush last week because of sexual misconduct allegations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.