Meredith Vieira is opening up about how she handled the 2017 sexual misconduct allegations against her former coanchor, Matt Lauer. Meredith, 65, left the Today show eight years ago, but she still had to come to terms with what happened at her former job, where she’d worked for five years.
Learning about Matt’s firing “was like a gut punch,” the 65-year-old TV host told People. “I was [in L.A.] and my phone started going off at 4 a.m. I didn’t know what to make of all of it. It was a shock.”
Matt, 61, was accused of sexual misconduct in the workplace by multiple women. Some of the alleged incidents took place in his office, where he had a secret button that could remotely close and lock the door. Another incident allegedly took place during the Olympics.
But Meredith said that she didn’t experience any of his inappropriate behavior firsthand. “Matt and I were very close,” she admitted. “He was very kind to me. We both have similar senses of humor. We’re both sarcastic.”
1 of 8
Photo credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
She addressed a viral clip that showed Matt
commenting on her butt and said that she never actually felt uncomfortable on the set of
Today.
2 of 8
Photo credit: Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock
“There was totally joking around,” she said. “But I never took it as anything. We were like brother and sister.”
3 of 8
Photo credit: Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock
“If somebody were a fly on the wall in any newsroom, they’d be shocked by the language, and by the gallows’ humor,” she explained. “You made a joke because otherwise you’d implode when you’re covering something.”
4 of 8
Photo credit: MEGA
“You could take [that moment] and go, ‘Look, now can’t you see what you were dealing with?’ But I didn’t feel that at all,” Meredith admitted.
5 of 8
Photo credit: MEGA
“It’s so complicated,” she said, declining to define her current relationship with Matt. “The whole thing is just sad. And it’s been rough in a lot of places with a lot of people.”
6 of 8
Photo credit: INSTARImages
7 of 8
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Meredith is hosting the new syndicated game show 25 Words or Less, in which a contestant tries to get their celebrity partners to guess 10 answers in 25 words or less.
8 of 8
Photo credit: INSTARImages
“It’s fun,” said Meredith, who used to host Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. “I can do a talk show or a game show. It’s all just adding to my repertoire!”
She addressed a viral clip that showed Matt
commenting on her butt and said that she never actually felt uncomfortable on the set of
Today.
Photo credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
“There was totally joking around,” she said. “But I never took it as anything. We were like brother and sister.”
Photo credit: Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock
“If somebody were a fly on the wall in any newsroom, they’d be shocked by the language, and by the gallows’ humor,” she explained. “You made a joke because otherwise you’d implode when you’re covering something.”
Photo credit: Richard Drew/AP/Shutterstock
“You could take [that moment] and go, ‘Look, now can’t you see what you were dealing with?’ But I didn’t feel that at all,” Meredith admitted.
“It’s so complicated,” she said, declining to define her current relationship with Matt. “The whole thing is just sad. And it’s been rough in a lot of places with a lot of people.”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
Meredith is hosting the new syndicated game show 25 Words or Less, in which a contestant tries to get their celebrity partners to guess 10 answers in 25 words or less.
Photo credit: INSTARImages
“It’s fun,” said Meredith, who used to host Who Wants to Be A Millionaire. “I can do a talk show or a game show. It’s all just adding to my repertoire!”
Photo credit: INSTARImages
