NBC News fires Today Show anchor Matt Lauer over sexual misconduct allegations
NBC News announced the termination of long-time anchor Matt Lauer in light of recent allegations of sexual misconduct by former colleagues.
NBC News fires Today Show anchor Matt Lauer over sexual misconduct allegations
The news was revealed early Wednesday morning by his former Today Show co-hosts Samantha Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. Lauer, who was anchor of the morning news show since 1997 was ousted due to allegations that he had assaulted a former colleague during the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Although not a recent allegation, The New York Times and Variety magazine had both investigated rumors and allegations from other former co-workers.
This is the third high-profile firing of an NBC News employee, as they also cut ties with senior political analyst Mark Halperin and senior vice president of booking Matt Zimmerman, both due to accusations of sexual misconduct. This followed news from last week that CBS This Morning anchor Charlie Rose was also terminated for similar allegations.
On the swift termination, NBC News chairman Andrew Lack said that although it was the first complaint received about Lauer, that there was reason to believe that it wasn't an isolated incident.
Lack said in a statement: "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."