Details emerge on Matt Lauer's alleged history of sexual misconduct following 'Today' firing
For more news videos visit Yahoo View.
Following NBC News Chairman Andy Lack's announcement on Wednesday morning that Matt Lauer had been fired from NBC News, more details have emerged on the longtime anchor's alleged history with sexual misconduct.
According to a handful of journalists on Twitter, multiple outlets had been working on exposing Lauer's behavior for months. Elizabeth Wagmeister of Variety, Yashar Ali of HuffPost and the New York Times were all reportedly working on exposés that would've ultimately shed light on the former "Today" anchor's past.
And, Ali alleges, "some top executives at NBC were aware of these stories."
"I, and other reporters, have been aware of several women who have come forward privately in the past few months," he continued. "Even before Weinstein. They weren't willing to go public though...they were terrified of Matt. Matt Lauer put the fear of God into these women. He had relationships with reporters outside NBC that he cultivated just for this purpose. They knew that."
"Lauer is among the worst I've heard about," Ali added. "Not in terms of the kind of misconduct but the way in which he manipulated these women into silence. It's evil, frightening stuff."
"NBC was aware," Wagmeister said of her reporting. "There are multiple women we've spoken to with far-ranging accusations against Lauer."
In addition to the additional stories being worked on that will likely be published, Page Sixreported on Wednesday that Lauer allegedly sexually assaulted a female NBC staffer during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"An NBC staffer [came] forward with a claim that Matt sexually assaulted her at the Olympics," a source told the outlet. "There have been rumors about Matt having affairs with subordinates at NBC for years, but those were believed to be consensual. This incident in Rio was not."
NBC News Chairman was much more vague about the complaint regarding Lauer, saying that NBC had "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 twenty years he’s been at NBC News," Lack continued. "We were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."
Savannah Guthrie delivered the news to "Today" viewers on Wednesday morning while holding Hoda Kotb's hand.
"We just learned this moments ago, just this morning," Guthrie said. "As I’m sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing all of this."
"I will tell you right now, we do not know more than what I just shared with you," she said. "But we will be covering this story as reporters, as journalists. I’m sure we will be learning more details in the hours and days to come, and we promise we will share that with you."
Matt Lauer had been a co-anhor on the "Today" show since January of 1997.
More from AOL.com:
NBC News terminates ‘Today Show’ host Matt Lauer for ‘inappropriate workplace behavior’
Celebrities that died in 2017: Looking back at the legends we've lost
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2017: See all the looks!
NBC News terminates ‘Today Show’ host Matt Lauer for ‘inappropriate workplace behavior’
Celebrities that died in 2017: Looking back at the legends we've lost
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2017: See all the looks!
- This article was initially published on AOL.com: Details emerge on Matt Lauer's alleged history of sexual misconduct following 'Today' firing
The Wrap
Matt Lauer Firing Rocks Hollywood as Stars Shake Their Heads at Latest Scandal
Celebrities and journalists alike have expressed some serious opinions about Matt Lauer following his split from by NBC News after a complaint of “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace,” the network announced Wednesday.
Stars like Kathy Griffin, Andy Richter and Wendy Williams all took to Twitter to comment on the situation. Some, like Williams, just shared the news and others, like Griffin, expressed that they had seen it coming from a mile away.
“Matt Lauer has been on my list for a while,” Griffin tweeted. “It’s really too bad more Americans don’t come to my shows. I pretty much recite the list in every show. Haha. I told you, my memory is long, my friends. I’ve been around a long time…”
Richter, on the other hand, took the route many members of the media did, which was to compare the situation to the sexual harassment and assault accusations posed against President Donald Trump, along with the hypocrisy of POTUS’ tweet calling out Lauer’s inappropriate behavior Wednesday morning.
The announcement that Lauer had been fired was made at the top of the “Today” show, which he joined full-time in 1994 as news anchor and then as co-host three years later. “I am heartbroken,” said Savannah Guthrie, who has served as co-anchor for the last five years.
In a memo to employees, NBC News chairman Andy Lack said that he had received a “detailed complaint” from a staffer on Monday night.
“It represented, after serious review a clear violation of our company’s standards,” Lack wrote. “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.”
Lack continued, “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.”
A rep for Lauer did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment