The Today show celebrated a major milestone on June 20. The morning show has been broadcasting out of Studio 1A for 25 years. The show aired a five-minute montage of some of their favorite moments from the last quarter century on the iconic plaza. But fans noticed that Matt Lauer was missing from the clips. The former anchor, who joined the show in 1994, was terminated from NBC in 2017 after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Viewers were torn as to whether he should have been in the footage or not.
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The
package opened with
Bryant Gumbel and
Katie Couric during the first episode of
Today they filmed on the plaza.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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The footage focused on what goes on outside, including the interactions with the crowd. They spotlighted the hundreds of celebrities who’ve performed on the Today show as well as the many elaborate Today show Halloweens.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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But lots of fans immediately noticed that Matt was cut completely from the footage, including events he was definitely present for.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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Followers let Today know how they felt about the exclusion in their tweets. Some were angry. One wrote, “I know u ‘had’ to leave him out because of political correctness..BUT #MattLauer contributed in a MAJOR way on that show! He was one of the best on the show.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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Another said, “Amazing that a member of ‘the family’ was totally excluded from the 25th Anniversary of Studio 1-A. I know there were serious issues with Matt Lauer and his conduct is not to ever be condoned, but all ‘families’ are flawed in some way. Aren’t they? History shouldn’t be erased.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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One person added, “It's just crazy that you omitted Matt Lauer from the footage. Good or bad it's your history so embrace it. I think we as adults could've handled it.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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But many others thought it would have been much more inappropriate to include Matt. “Why do you want to celebrate a sexual abuser so badly?” one asked.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
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Photo credit: INSTARImages
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Do you think Matt should’ve been in the montage? Sound off in the comments!
Photo credit: INSTARImages
The
package opened with
Bryant Gumbel and
Katie Couric during the first episode of
Today they filmed on the plaza.
Photo credit: Getty Images
The footage focused on what goes on outside, including the interactions with the crowd. They spotlighted the hundreds of celebrities who’ve performed on the Today show as well as the many elaborate Today show Halloweens.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
But lots of fans immediately noticed that Matt was cut completely from the footage, including events he was definitely present for.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Followers let Today know how they felt about the exclusion in their tweets. Some were angry. One wrote, “I know u ‘had’ to leave him out because of political correctness..BUT #MattLauer contributed in a MAJOR way on that show! He was one of the best on the show.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Another said, “Amazing that a member of ‘the family’ was totally excluded from the 25th Anniversary of Studio 1-A. I know there were serious issues with Matt Lauer and his conduct is not to ever be condoned, but all ‘families’ are flawed in some way. Aren’t they? History shouldn’t be erased.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
One person added, “It's just crazy that you omitted Matt Lauer from the footage. Good or bad it's your history so embrace it. I think we as adults could've handled it.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
But many others thought it would have been much more inappropriate to include Matt. “Why do you want to celebrate a sexual abuser so badly?” one asked.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Do you think Matt should’ve been in the montage? Sound off in the comments!
Photo credit: INSTARImages
