Disgraced Matt Lauer Reemerges At Don Lemon's Wedding & Everyone Is Saying The Same Thing
The following article includes allegations of sexual assault.
Don Lemon's wedding guest list raised eyebrows for including Matt Lauer. The former CNN anchor tied the knot with Tim Malone on April 6 at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Midtown Manhattan. Notable guests included Sunny Hostin, Joy Behar, Tamron Hall, Alec Baldwin, and Lauer — who attended with his girlfriend, Shamin Abas, per Page Six. The invite was a shock to some, as Lauer was fired from NBC in 2017 for reportedly sexually harassing Brooke Nevils, a network staffer, at the 2014 Olympics. Two years later, more disturbing details emerged as Nevils claimed in the book "Catch and Kill" written by Ronan Farrow, that Lauer had raped her. The former NBC anchor denied the claims in a statement at the time, per Us Weekly. In the aftermath of these allegations, multiple people on social media were surprised to see Lauer invited to Lemon's nuptials.
Several users on X, formerly Twitter, expressed their dismay at seeing Lauer attend the high-profile event. "Why would Don Lemon invite someone like Matt Lauer to his wedding? Doesn't that seem...gross?!" one tweeted. "We're allowing Matt Lauer in public again?" another wrote. "Are we just okay with Lauer's conduct now??" another asked.
The disgraced news anchor was not the only one on the wedding guest list who caught people's attention. "Alec Baldwin and Matt Lauer? Yikes," a X user commented. "Oh, isn't that just lovely? Don Lemon and Tim Malone got married, and all the disgraced stars came out to celebrate," another wrote. That was not the first notable wedding Lauer had attended since his infamous firing.
Matt Lauer's tense reunion with his former co-hosts
In December 2023, Matt Lauer made headlines when he attended the wedding of a former "Today" colleague, which led to him reuniting with his former co-hosts. Jennifer Long, the special projects producer on "Today" invited Lauer to her wedding along with Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, per Page Six. Similar to Don Lemon's wedding, Lauer was accompanied by his girlfriend Shamin Abas, and the couple were photographed holding hands while walking to the ceremony. There was a possibility for tension, as reports indicated Guthrie had ended her friendship with Lauer, and Kotb had cut ties with him when the disturbing details from Ronan Farrow's book emerged.
According to a source who attended the wedding, conflict between Lauer, Guthrie, and Kotb was avoided. "There was no awkwardness. They all talked," the insider told People following the December 2023 wedding. "Savannah gave Matt a hug and they talked for several minutes ... They were all legitimately happy to be there," the source added. Perhaps they were just putting on a good front for the sake of the festivities.
On an episode of "Today" that aired the Monday after that wedding, Kotb shared a series of photos from the big day. "I danced! I danced with everybody," Kotb said (via OK!). "I danced with [Al] Roker, I danced with Savannah, I just danced around," she added. As noted by OK!, Lauer was notably absent from the snaps Kotb shared on-air.