Matt Lauer, a longtime host of NBC’s “Today” show, was fired Wednesday for inappropriate behavior in the workplace.
"Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News.
"On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer.
"As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment," NBC said in a statement.
Lauer worked at NBC News for over 20 years, and his $20 million/year contract would have taken him into 2018. Lauer's firing comes just days after "CBS This Morning" host Charlie Rose was canned for his behavior towards women, which included showering naked in front of them at his home. That leaves just "Good Morning America" host George Stephanopoulos as the remaining male anchor of the big three network morning shows.
“We just learned this moments ago, just this morning. As I’m sure you can imagine we are devastated. And we are still processing all of this. And I will tell you right now, we do not know more than what I just shared with you,” Savannah Guthrie, a co-host on “Today”, said at the start of the show Wednesday.
Hoda Kotb, a fellow NBC News anchor, joined Guthrie on the “Today” show in place of Lauer.
“It’s hard to reconcile what we’re hearing with the man who we know, that walks into this building every single say,” Kotb said.
According to The New York Post, the alleged incident occurred during the coverage of the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
NBC News Chairman Andy Lack said the network's "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. We are deeply saddened by this turn of events."
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