NBC Fires Matt Lauer Over Misconduct Allegations

[Yavin4]

Source: NY Times

NBC has fired its leading morning news anchor Matt Lauer over sexual harassment allegations, the network’s president for news said in a memo to staff on Wednesday.





Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/business/media/nbc-matt-lauer.html

---

MORE:

NBC has fired its leading morning news anchor Matt Lauer over sexual harassment allegations, the network’s president for news said in a memo to staff on Wednesday.

“On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer,” Andrew Lack, the NBC News president, said in the memo.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/business/media/nbc-matt-lauer.html

[GoCubsGo]

1. Limbaugh's golf buddy got canned for sexual harassment?

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

(Granted, that news WAS unexpected.)

[wolfie001]

17. He golfs with that pig?

Two pigs in a poke! Truly sickening!

[GoCubsGo]

23. Supposedly they went on a golf vacation to Ireland a dozen or so years ago.

I don't know if they still golf together, but it wouldn't surprise me if they do.

[marble falls]

24. Only half joking: I'd fire him just for that alone.

[snooper2]

92. and another one bites the dust, another one bites the dust

Now we just need somebody to leak the slush fund payouts from Congress

[oberliner]

2. The pervasiveness of this problem cannot be understated

At least we our finally facing up to it as a society.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. THIS

It has been going on for decades.

[Pacifist Patriot]

26. Millennia

[BumRushDaShow]

50. Yes but

"decades" in the case of "modern" women being in a "workplace" with men, which was rare until the recently. OTOH, "patrimony" has been around for most of the existence of humanity.

[Pacifist Patriot]

82. True

[leftynyc]

8. And I'm not sure how much

these big name people getting nailed is going to help the girl at McDonald's who wants extra shifts to buy her prom dress and wont get them from her manager unless she blows him. This problem is so old, so pervasive and so insidious.

[oberliner]

10. Maybe it will help a little

Perhaps the high-profile women who are speaking out will encourage other not-so-high profile folks to do the same. I certainly hope so, at least. Also, perhaps more companies like McDonalds will take complaints more seriously.

[wolfie001]

14. I'm sure McDonalds has an anonymous tip line

There is one at my work. I used it to report an abusive, hectoring boss (not a sex-based situation). Very important to document ALL abuse.

[extvbroadcaster]

20. So true

It works with young women out on their own too. She gets a job in a new city, moves there, rents an apartment, knows nobody, needs the job, and begins work. After a few weeks the boss informs her about a motel down the street, and that they will be meeting there to discuss her "performance" - if not, she is fired or has no future at the company. For every woman that says stick it and leaves there is one that feels trapped and has nowhere to go. Welcome to the non-union, no contract, at-will employment model. Employees have nothing to protect themselves from asswipe bosses that take advantage of their power. It goes all the way up to two scoops himself. He can even grab them by the pussy.

[leftynyc]

84. Every word you typed is the sad reality

for so many. It seems far too many humans can't be trusted to hold power and use it responsibly.

[DBoon]

103. this is why power must be accountable

and why checks and balances must exist

Unfortunately, restricting the power of private sector bosses is seen as unamerican

[safeinOhio]

100. Some thing like that happened at

the car factory I worked at back in the 70s..After a few days, when the company refused to fire the foreman, the plant walked out for 3 days. He was fired.

Of corse that was back when we had Unions.

[leftynyc]

102. The decline of unions

has wrought so many problems from this kind of crap to lousy pay, dropped benefits, etc.

[safeinOhio]

105. I moved away from Michigan 10 years ago

and it became a right-to-work state. I had to move back to help turn that around by making Michigan the first Right-To-Vote state.

[leftynyc]

106. You're my hero n/t

[whathehell]

114. Wow.. That's a great example of solidarity..

Unions YES.

[Plucketeer]

98. What we're seeing is just the tiniest tip of the iceberg

How far down the ladder of labor strata will this go? I've never worked anything but "Blue Collar" jobs - and this sorta abuse was just an accepted part of each day. If the abused - or even a witness - were to speak to a higher plane about it, that person was setting themselves up to be let go. So it'll be interesting to see just how deep this drive permeates.

[bdamomma]

3. Not to be funny

but I think the next person who should be fired is

TRUMP!!! we have 16 women as evidence. PERIOD.

2018 may be the year of the Woman..............

[ananda]

64. Indeed! In fact, 45 should have been fired long ago!

nt

[Boomer]

4. wow

I'm gobsmacked that Lauer has been fired. I thought he was bullet-proof. Of course, apparently so did he.....

[Judi Lynn]

5. Fast work, Yavin4! I just heard them break the story on MSNBC!

They were still reacting to it when I decided to check to see if anyone here had heard it yet. Congrats!

I gather from what the people on Morning Joe said, they were all stunned.

He did seem a lot like a fixture at NBC to me, for sure. He had some very big interviews over the years.

Thanks for catching the info. so fast. Great work.

[marble falls]

27. Shocked but glad it went that quickly. Maybe some lotharios will begin to rethink their privileges..

a little bit.

[Judi Lynn]

39. It may take even longer than the rest of their natural lives to learn to feel respect for others.

Looks like the struggle for power and recognition strips away everything meaningful in impure people, for sure.

[marble falls]

44. Maye they can't change their dismal thoughts but they can check their baser impulses....

if it takes a financial threat or jailing or anything in between its a success story to me.

[exboyfil]

62. He utterly failed his biggest interview in his career

The Commander in Chief "forum". He had a chance to stop that monster then by just doing his job, and he failed miserably.

[sadiegirl]

6. Time to clean up the workplace.

But be careful about the backlash. The first powerful man who steps out and admits to promoting or hiring some well-known woman because of sexual favors is going to blow up the entire American workforce. With all the revelations it's really scary that many well-qualified women may be turned down for good jobs now for fear of women in the workplace.

How many Congressional staff will be all men now? It's already bought on women to get good jobs. I fear the use of these revelations now will make it more difficult for them.

Perhaps now, there will be enough charges brought out about Trump that we may be able to finally get him out of office since so many other men are being fired for the same or even less harassment behavior. We can only hope.

[melm00se]

9. This

Sadiegirl's concern about 100% male staffs in Congress is not far fetched.

It may be the only real defensive action some of these Congress-critters could take to protect themselves.

[marble falls]

30. If those Congressmen have nothing to hide it should help get more women on staff....

the real solution is to make Congress reflect who is American. America isn't 90% middle aged white males.

Vote.

[bdamomma]

71. yes indeed

I agree with your last comment. Hmm....more women will campaigning for office, as they should. Enough is enough.

[melm00se]

94. Even the innocent

will react with single sex staffs.

If nothing else to avoid accusations.

Politics is a dirty business and political opponents (regardless of ideology) will rarely (if ever) allow opportunities to damage their opponents pass.

[Mosby]

99. That's not legal.

Gender cannot be a hiring criteria, period.

[uponit7771]

13. +1, set the standard now !!!

[klook]

70. Men sexually harass men, too.

The only real answer is to create firm policies with clear repercussions, and enforce them. It will take a while to turn this culture around, but it's got to happen.

[Polly Hennessey]

79. This is my concern, too.

I can feel the backlash creeping forward. It will take just one to be found lying to overturn the forward progress. Now each day we wake to Trump’s Tweets and another powerful man found to be a sexual harasser or assaulter.

[jcmaine72]

104. +1000

[infullview]

11. This is very scary stuff

I just hope NBC did a thorough vetting before they jettisoned Matt. How do we know this wasn't some coworker interested in filling his position at the show? Before you ask, yes, I've been a victim of this kind of reverse sexual harassment where there was no truth and lies were weaponized.

I keep very neutral in work place politics and social interactions to the point that I don't make any close associations. It's the only way to protect yourself, but it doesn't help when promotions are handed out.

[LexVegas]

12. "reverse sexual harassment"...kinda like "reverse racism" huh?

[infullview]

18. Make all the jokes you want

I hope it never happens to you.

[Tarc]

25. Thank you for your "concern"

It will be filed in the appropriate place.

[PatrickforO]

78. I hear what you're saying, but here's the thing.

As a man, I don't do that shit. Ever.

But what is to stop someone from accusing me of such, falsely?

In our culture, in fact in our 'justice' system, the assumption is still innocent until proven guilty.

So, no, it isn't the equivalent of 'reverse racism.' That was an unfortunate term.

I'm not a thumper, but the Bible puts it better: Don't bear false witness against your neighbor.

In an age of equality, I'll remind you that as with men, some women are so great they walk on water. Others are complete psychotic dirt bags. That's the continuum, Lex, and everyone, I mean everyone, falls somewhere in between.

[uponit7771]

15. They'd be REALLY stupid to fire him if there wasn't something he already admitted to. That's another

... common factor in all these harassment claims were people are fired quick; there's some hard evidence and its coming from the people fired.

[PJMcK]

31. Lauer's firing is very high-profile

You can be sure that NBC knew what they were doing. There had to be a confrontation with Lauer (probably with his agent and/or lawyer present). The evidence of his behavior must be unimpeachable because the firing is so quick and public.

In past examples, the individual would be suspended during an inquiry. Following that report, the individual would either be reinstated, reassigned or let go. An example of this is what happened to Brian Williams who eventually returned to broadcasting but at the lower-profile of cable news. In fact, this is also what happened at Fox News.

In the event that Lauer is innocent of the charges, I expect we'd see a counter-statement from him followed by a lawsuit or three.

The fact that Lauer is so well-known means that NBC must have made its decision by choosing the least damaging course.

[Honeycombe8]

32. Oh, pleeeez. NBC got the info Monday...fired his a__ on Tuesday. It was a sure thing.

Maybe there's an audio or video tape of something, since that's a television station. Harassers and criminals tend to get sloppy over the years, as each year passes and they don't get caught.

He was THE guy on their highly rated morning show. NBC didn't want to fire him. So they had no choice. The evidence was conclusive and bad.

[marble falls]

35. I was accused of that, too. And the process worked. If you do nothing, fear nothing.....

as to reverse discrimination, it flat out does not exist. My white male privilege worked for me my entire life and I was not even aware of it until just a few years ago. I just knew I was always going to get most of the jobs and positions I was interviewing for if I were up against women/PoC.

I know now that I am more likely to get fair hearing of my complaint/concerns, particularly since my hair turned white, which happened at forty or so. If we males get some "reverse", well its something we will need to tolerate as the nation finally transitions into much fairer and more inclusive place.

[Honeycombe8]

49. Thanks for admitting what you recognized.

It's not that white men get jobs and promotions they aren't qualified for. It's that there's a one-up for them, in a competition setup. And when they get it, they get more money. Not always. But generally. That was my observation over decades of working.

[marble falls]

66. We always ALWAYS get more money and we tend to bring up more like us up with us ....

the bringing up more like us with has changed some in the last twenty or so years but still needs a lot more efforts. But the money thing still exists in a country where the discussion on wages starts a 'minimum wage' and not a 'living wage', let alone a fair and equal wage.

White males have their own affirmative action, too. Not only do bosses have managers beneath them who look just like them, but it exists in private schools like Yale and Harvard which have highly publicized minority affirmative action programs. That's how D average students like George W. Bush gets into Yale, a school where stringent academic standards keep bright and prepared students out. Its called a "legacy enrollment" - W's dad and brother went (and did very well) and so does W, who will not release his grades. I understand they were C's.

We need to keep up the fight and make inclusiveness so natural its understood and not mandated.

[Honeycombe8]

36. That's like saying reports of thefts makes it scary for me to walk into a jewelry store!

Yikes! What's a customer to do? If I go into a jewelry store, what with all the reports by jewelers of thefts, they might allege that I tried to rob them, too!

That's silly. All we have to do is....not try to rob or steal a jewelry store. If we don't, there's no reason anyone would try to claim that we did.

Same thing. No one's after you, dude. (If YOU are not after anyone else.)

[BumRushDaShow]

90. Except your argument doesn't work when it comes to POC

who, using your analogy, get followed around quite in stores because POC are considered to be big shoplifters due to "profiling".

Every single time I walk in ANY store, I must be careful of how I move and operate in that store including going into my pocketbook to get a list or other object because God forbid, I might have stuffed something in there.

[obamanut2012]

56. Shoo

[MaryMagdaline]

68. NBC was clear

He broke NBC rules. Rule violations are easier to prove. Something like, don't meet with subordinate after hours or use company cell phones only when communicating with subordinates, don't interview job applicants outside if NBC offices, etc. (these are examples; I do not know NBC's actual rules).

I believe they must have had a solid case to fire someone that powerful. The breach of contract/wrongful termination case would be extremely expensive if they did not have solid evidence.

I don't know you, obviously, but I doubt you have access to the same type of lawyers Matt has. And yes, it is frightening that a less powerful person can be wrongfully accused. If there are rules in the workplace, the rules protect the accused as well.

[wishstar]

80. They would not have let him go without an admission of guilt or incontrovertible evidence

The morning hosts on MSNBC have repeatedly stated that he was the most powerful anchor at NBC

[djg21]

96. This troubles me too.

I have no idea what the allegations against Lauer are, or if they can be substantiated, but claims of sexual harassment in the workplace can easily be contrived, and given the seeming desire to protect “victims,” alleged harassers generally are not provided an opportunity to confront the charges or their accusers in any meaningful way.

The presumption right now is that allegations of harassment always should be credited, and at best, an internal workplace investigation can only result in a finding that the charges cannot be corroborated (not that they are false). This is the trend both in the workplace and in universities where sexual misconduct is alleged.

This troubles me greatly. I have defended numerous Title VII actions where charges of harassment were made up by the “victim” to secure some advantage at the workplace, or because a fully consensual relationship (a bad idea but not necessarily unlawful) went south, or the victim just had an axe to grind or was looking for a windfall. Typically, these cases settle before trial if they cannot be won by the defendant on motion because juries are wild cards.

Often times, the “victims” spin the most innocuous of interactions as evidence of a hostile work environment. We all know that women are often subject to sexual harassment at the workplace. But the ones who sue often aren't the ones actually being harassed.

[Mosby]

101. Couric

[AwakeAtLast]

108. I will bet my lunch it's recorded

That would be why they went straight to firing.

[pnwmom]

115. He has acknowledged what he did wrong and isn't fighting it. n/t

[dsc]

16. Remember the forum he hosted with Trump and Clinton

and how utterly unfair he was at it. Yet another sexist pig who has a big media position in 2016. At what point are we going to understand that Clinton lost almost entirely because the media was at best OK with sexists and at worst a bunch of sexists.

[Duppers]

22. You're right.

Now I remember why I don't like him. Posted below before I read your post.

[Dave Starsky]

86. He's always been an enormous jackhole.

That was just one example.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

[BigmanPigman]

19. I read on DU that Keith Olbermann suggested that another sex scandle

might be coming and involving someone on MSNBC. But Lauer is at NBC?

[JenniferJuniper]

34. I think he said there would be three major names?

I'm not sure he said they'd all be MSNBC, but NBC is pretty darn close.

[Honeycombe8]

37. Same company. Willie Geist works for the co. He works on both MSNBC & NBC shows.

Samantha Guthrie "left" MSNBC to work at NBC, but she just changed shows. Same company.

[Duppers]

21. Just watched him officiating the Thx-giving parade..

..with Samantha Guthrie on YouTube Monday night and said to the hubs, "there's something about that guy I don't like." I swear I did.

If I remember correctly, I've heard him make some sympathic remarks about wingers in the past; so, I think that was it.

[Honeycombe8]

29. Me, too. I've never liked the guy. I didn't hate him. But ..... nt

[obamanut2012]

60. He treated Ann Curry horribly -- and basically ruined her career

Because he is a jerk.

[greatauntoftriplets]

89. + 1,000

[Honeycombe8]

28. I'm NOT surprised.

I've never heard anything about sexual harassment about him, but unlike his coworkers who said they thought they knew what kind of guy they knew and worked with for years....I thought I, too, could tell what kind of man he was, and I'm NOT surprised that he has a dark, skanky side.

I read reports of how he'd treated Ann Curry. He was mean to her, didn't want her working there, and eventually got rid of her. Yes, smiling, jovial Matt Lauer used his power on the set to get rid of someone he didn't think was good enough for him to work with and that he just didn't like. From what I read, she had done nothing to deserve that treatment. She was pleasant, showed up on time, was professional.

So I'm not surprised. And glad to see him gone.

[Siwsan]

33. I've always caught a 'bully' vibe, off of him. Even before the Ann Curry incident

And since sexual harassment is one of the more toxic forms of bullying, so this surprises me, not one bit.

[bucolic_frolic]

38. Couldn't stand to watch the man

Looks like there will be some job openings as corporate America cleans house

[Cattledog]

40. Now the Hillary interview where he treated her much more harshly than Trump is clearer...

it shows his disdain for strong women.

[still_one]

43. It sure does bring things to light. He constantly interrupted her before she could answer.

He should have been fired for that disgraceful interview, and not only wasn't he NOT fired for that, but the head of NBC Andrew Lack praised Lauer for that detestable interview

[FakeNoose]

73. That's because his boss is a right-wing tool

Andrew Lack probably TOLD Matt Lauer to treat Hillary in such a manner.

[still_one]

75. Lack is a sexist pig. The way he back-stabbed and treated Ann Curry is part of his profile. While

Andrew Lack is an asshole, he didn't tell Lauer to NOT give Hillary a chance to answer a question, that was all Lauer.

Lack defended Lauer's interview after it was widely criticised the next day for the unbalanced way it was conducted, this was pure Matt Lauer.

[dalton99a]

54. Lauer played a pivotal role in the narrative

Link to tweet

[hibbing]

88. ahh yes, the emails

[BumRushDaShow]

91. And now that he helped Putin-GOP get their "Mission Accomplished"

his work is done and he gets jettisoned to be replaced by another willing tool.

[still_one]

41. This asshole should have been fired after his disgraceful interview with Hillary verses trump.

He treated Hillary with the upmost disrespect, and kept interrupting her so she could finish answering a question.

I hope he is unable to work again in the news business, though I wouldn't be surprised is fox wants him


https://www.vogue.com/article/matt-lauer-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-commander-in-chief-forum

[FakeNoose]

72. I thought he was told to do that in the debate

Let's face it, Lauer was never much of a journalist, he's really just a guy who reads the cue cards. Somebody writes the news stories for him and the NBC news directors decide what stories go on the air. As far as his disgraceful job during the debates, it just cemented in my mind the fact that he's not a reporter.

Somebody higher up at NBC made him do that. Who was it, maybe his boss Andrew Lack (who's also a right-wing tool)?
Inquiring minds want to know.

[still_one]

74. That is bullshit. No one tells an interviewer to not give the person he is interviewing a chance to

answer the question, and that is all Lauer was doing was interrupting Hillary

The contrast that where he let trump practically run the interview only re-enforces his sexism, and his political bias

[FakeNoose]

76. Lauer was never a journalist

He only reads the cue cards while somebody else decides what news stories get on the air.
He's good at celebrity interviews but breaking news stories were never his thing.

I believe Andrew Lack (a right-wing tool) told Lauer to do that, and Lauer did as he was told.
That's why Lack praised him so highly after it was over. Yes I agree, it was disgraceful.

[riversedge]

81. #LaueringTheBar --AH YES, now I remember that debate. thanks for the link.

How Many Times Will Hillary Clinton Be Interrupted? #LaueringTheBar

https://www.vogue.com/article/matt-lauer-hillary-clinton-donald-trump-commander-in-chief-forum


September 8, 2016 1:58 PM
by Patricia Garcia




https://assets.vogue.com/photos/5891c068b42132395f40226d/master/w_780,c_limit/00-holding-matt-lauer%E2%80%99s-interview-with-clinton.jpg
Lauer / Clinton
Photo: Getty Images


To put it mildly, Matt Lauer’s performance during Wednesday night’s Commander-in-Chief Forum on NBC has drawn mixed reviews. (The hashtag #LaueringTheBar started trending on Twitter this afternoon.) Critics took issue with what seemed softball questions for Donald Trump, and Lauer’s seeming unwillingness to fact-check several false statements made by the Republican candidate. But to many female viewers, something else leaped out: Lauer constantly interrupted Hillary Clinton throughout their exchange.

Early on, while describing attributes the leader of the United States should have, Clinton stressed: “What you want in a president, a commander in chief, is someone who listens, who evaluates what is being told to him or her, who is able to sort out the very difficult options being presented . . .” Lauer quickly interjected: “You’re talking about judgment.” Clinton finished her sentence.

Later, Lauer continued to speak over or rush Clinton for time. When she was delivering a detailed explanation of the Iran nuclear deal, Lauer wanted to cut her short again, but Clinton pushed back. “Look, this is an important issue, I know we don’t have a lot of time, but I will talk quickly.” She smiled before finishing her point, no doubt to stave off accusations of being aggressive...........................

[Jules Hey]

42. Good! Long Overdue!

NOW BRING BACK ANN CURRY!!!

[Sophiegirl]

45. It always disturbed me...

His creepy affinity for dressing in drag on their Halloween specials.

I never liked his arrogance and narcissistic behavior. But after what he did to Ann Curry, those feelings were amplified. That is pretty much when I stopped watching the Today Show.

[ATL Ebony]

46. GREAT!! A little Ann Curry karma is a biotch.

[underpants]

55. I'll never forget her on the USS Abraham Lincoln leading a USA! USA! cheer

This embarrassing day

[ATL Ebony]

69. I'll never forget the embarrassment and painful day caused by Lauer-- couldn't happen to a nicer guy

[marble falls]

47. It has been reported he's been after Megyn Kelly to be fired.

[FakeNoose]

67. If that's true, it doesn't mean sexual misconduct

Matt Lauer is (or was) very jealous of his status as the highest paid male on-air talent at NBC. So Megyn Kelly's new contract was probably a threat to him and it would have ruffled his feathers. He showed the same type of anger/resentment towards other women of high status in the past. Whatever this new allegation is about, his alleged sexual misconduct would never be towards a high-status woman like Kelly who could easily burn him. I guess we're all waiting to hear the juicy details now. In the meantime people are speculating about his marriage too, which almost broke up a year ago. Rumors were flying that he was about to be divorced by his wife, but then they reconciled last year. What was going on there and was it related to this?

[marble falls]

93. I wasn't meaning to suggest a sexual aspect, but that it spoke to a superior self image ....

that seeks to project power through a range of behaviors including sexism as well as sexual behavior.

The juicy details almost always stack up as pathetic as well as sordid. I could do without it but I also recognize that some men just might identify the behaviors in themselves and make appropriate adjustments.

[still_one]

48. Now the question is why aren't trump's inappropriate sexual encouters being exposed?

[dalton99a]

57. Absolutely.

[Loryn]

51. Ta ta creeper!

Ann Curry must be smiling.

[dalton99a]

52. They should make him cry on live TV like they did to Ann Curry

Link to tweet

[obamanut2012]

61. Exactly what I was thinking!

[obamanut2012]

53. FINALLY! It should have happened years ago

What he did to Ann Curry was terrible, and his treatment of Hillary was also horrible.

He is a huge misogynist, and was given huge raise and promotion after he terrorized and blackballed Curry.

[whathehell]

112. Anyone know why he disliked Ann Curry so much?

Last edited Wed Nov 29, 2017, 06:44 PM - Edit history (1)

[John1956PA]

58. In 2006, I emailed NBC about Lauer and Couric claiming that Abramoff gave money to the Dems, too.

During the Abramoff scandal, Couric tried to push Howard Dean into admitting that the Abramoff scandal was not just about Republican politicians taking money from Jack Abamoff, but also Democratic politicians taking money from him, too. Of course, Howard Dean did not budge from asserting the true position that it was a Republican-only scandal. Afterwards, Lauer made remarks which suggested a false equivalence between the two parties in the scandal. I was so upset about Couric and Lauer that I sent an email to NBC to complain about their reporting in that matter.

From https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2006/01/27/today-issued-non-correction-to-couric-falsehood/134728 :

One day after NBC's Today co-host Katie Couric chided Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean for saying that Democratic lawmakers received no campaign contributions from former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, her co-host Matt Lauer issued a non-correction, saying that "technically speaking, Howard Dean may be correct." In fact, Dean was correct and Couric was wrong. There is no evidence to suggest Democrats received campaign contributions from Abramoff directly.

[underpants]

59. Gee Matt was the info sent in an EMAIL???

Hillary's 30 minute townhall during the campaign was dominated with Lauer asking questions about the emails.

Suck it Lauer.

[exboyfil]

63. And setting the ball on the tee

for Trump's tee ball interview. Didn't rise to the level of softball.

[underpants]

65. Yeah

[Joe Nation]

77. My heart goes out to his victim(s)

He can go work for Fox for all I care.

[dlk]

83. Lauer Firing Shown How Misogyny led to the 2016 Presidential Campaign Results

Email! Benghazi! Charitable Foundation! Now we have Trump.

[BigDemVoter]

85. Poor little Matt. . . . .

It has been obvious for a long time that he's a worthless piece of shit with no journalistic integrity. It isn't surprising that he has no other kind of integrity either. Good riddance. I hope we never have to see him on any news program again.

[Glimmer of Hope]

87. The accusations must be solid. Good riddance.

[Paladin]

95. To hell with him. Good riddance.

I've been hoping that bad fortune would befall him, ever since the unspeakable way he handled his discussions with Hillary during the 2016 presidential campaign.

[Guilded Lilly]

97. No surprise here. I havent liked him for a long time but...

NBC must have him dead to rights to act so quickly.
I’m sure more details will be forthcoming.

There are countless millions of men who would never, ever act in an inappropriate way towards women and others, sexually. Apparently, Lauer is not one of them.

I am not at all sorry he was fired but my crap feelings about him haven’t been based on sexual creepiness, but more his arrogance and self importance. (However, his treatment of Hillary in that patronizing interview is now much more understandable)

Power and money DO have a huge influence on how the men that feel sexual harassment is a gendered entitlement behave. The high profile ones will obviously be the most talked about before society in general combats this shameful behavior.

Those men/boys who DO abuse and harass women and the vulnerable are part of a long standing, generational gender-based societal epidemic.

What is happening now is long overdue. Painfully so. Firstly and especially for the victims and those who have struggled so hard and long against the personal attacks...and also for men who would never behave so hideously having to be on guard.

Expect more. Expect surprises. Expect some collateral damage. Expect guilty bastards to finally be exposed. And expect change, which is never easy, but welcomed.

It’s been an ugly societal secret long enough. Wayyyy long.

Lauer is another rung up in that ladder to get to the top of the pile of bigger, twisted, entitled assholes. (We, and they, know who they are)

[TexasBushwhacker]

107. I wonder if his wife will finally divorce him

She filed in 2006 when she was pregnant with their 3rd child. They reconciled "for the kids" but they have a weekend marriage. She lives with their children in The Hamptons and he lives in Manhattan during the week.

[librechik]

109. Saw this coming way down Broadway. Garrison Keillor too.

Wish I had posted my "Lauer's Next" thread last weekend like I wanted!

[brooklynite]

110. UPDATE-Matt Lauer Accused of Sexual Harassment by Multiple Women (EXCLUSIVE)

Variety:

As the co-host of NBC’s “Today,” Matt Lauer once gave a colleague a sex toy as a present. It included an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her, which left her mortified.

On another day, he summoned a different female employee to his office, and then dropped his pants, showing her his penis. After the employee declined to do anything, visibly shaken, he reprimanded her for not engaging in a sexual act.

He would sometimes quiz female producers about who they’d slept with, offering to trade names. And he loved to engage in a crass quiz game with men and women in the office: “fuck, marry or kill,” in which he would identify the female co-hosts that he’d most like to sleep with.

These accounts of Lauer’s behavior at NBC are the result of a two-month investigation by Variety, with dozens of interviews with current and former staffers. Variety has talked to three women who identified themselves as victims of sexual harassment by Lauer, and their stories have been corroborated by friends or colleagues that they told at the time. They have asked for now to remain unnamed, fearing professional repercussions.

[whathehell]

113. Ewww....A true scumbag.

[onetexan]

111. finally the SOB got what he deserves

i've not gotten over when Ann Curry was kicked out of the Today show because of him, and i've not gotten over how he fired ridiculous questions at Hillary during the election debate. Hate his smug face and snotty act. He dropped out of college and later managed to convince his alma mater to give him his diploma due to his work experience. If he won any journalism awards i hope those are all revoked. There are many rumors he slept with many of the women he worked with including Savannah Guthrie and Natalie Morales. I don't doubt that's how he convinced NBC execs to replace Ann with talentless Savannah.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/29/16714688/matt-lauer-today-show-ann-curry