Matt Lauer, who was with network for over 20 years, was fired from the Today Show on Wednesday morning after NBC received a complaint from a colleague, who chose to remain anonymous, about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by the former anchor. The incident allegedly occurred during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
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Matt Lauer, who was with network for over 20 years, was fired from the
Today Show on Wednesday morning after
NBC received a complaint from a colleague, who chose to remain anonymous, about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by the former anchor. The incident allegedly occurred during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
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Savannah Guthrie, his now former co-anchor, delivered the sad news at the opening of the show. She then read the letter that was sent out by
NBC news Chairman
Andrew Lack regarding Matt’s termination, which came after a 24 hour investigation.
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The letter read, “On Monday night, we 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, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
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“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,” the letter said. “We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organization – and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.”
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A visibly emotional Savannah said, “All we can say is that we are heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for Matt. He is my dear, dear friend and my partner and he is beloved by many, many people here. And I’m heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell.”
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She continued saying, “How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly? I don’t know the answer to that. But I do know the reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important, it’s long overdue and it must resolve in workplaces were all women, and all people, feel respected.”
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The firing of the disgraced anchor by NBC’s chairman immediately got the attention of President Donald Trump on Twitter.
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Photo credit: BACKGRID
The news comes just weeks after CBS faced a similar issue when they fired co-host Charlie Rose over allegations of sexual misconduct.
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Matt had been an anchor on the show since 1997.
Matt Lauer, who was with network for over 20 years, was fired from the
Today Show on Wednesday morning after
NBC received a complaint from a colleague, who chose to remain anonymous, about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by the former anchor. The incident allegedly occurred during the Sochi Winter Olympics.
Savannah Guthrie, his now former co-anchor, delivered the sad news at the opening of the show. She then read the letter that was sent out by
NBC news Chairman
Andrew Lack regarding Matt’s termination, which came after a 24 hour investigation.
The letter read, “On Monday night, we 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, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
“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,” the letter said. “We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organization – and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.”
A visibly emotional Savannah said, “All we can say is that we are heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for Matt. He is my dear, dear friend and my partner and he is beloved by many, many people here. And I’m heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell.”
She continued saying, “How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly? I don’t know the answer to that. But I do know the reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important, it’s long overdue and it must resolve in workplaces were all women, and all people, feel respected.”
The firing of the disgraced anchor by NBC’s chairman immediately got the attention of President Donald Trump on Twitter.
“Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!” the tweet read.
The news comes just weeks after CBS faced a similar issue when they fired co-host Charlie Rose over allegations of sexual misconduct.
Matt had been an anchor on the show since 1997.
