The Downfall Of Matt Lauer Is So Disturbing

Matt Lauer's rise to the top of network television news did not happen overnight. Beginning his career as a production assistant for a local TV station in West Virginia, soon wound up on the air, delivering the news. By the early 1980s, he was anchoring local newscasts, and by the end of the decade had started making a name for himself in New York City. 

He came to NBC  in 1992, co-anchoring local NYC broadcasts "Today in New York" and "Live at Five." It was during this time that Lauer began appearing on NBC's national morning show, "Today," on a fill-in basis. Those appearances eventually led to a full-time gig, and "Today" remained his home until it all came crashing down in 2017. 

Within hours, Lauer experienced the most dramatic of falls, transforming instantly from one of America's most trusted television personalities to an outright pariah. So dark were the allegations made against him that he utterly vanished from the media landscape, leading many to wonder whatever happened to Lauer. To find out more, keep on reading and it will become crystal clear why the downfall of Matt Lauer is so disturbing.

Matt Lauer earned millions as one of television's most beloved personalities

After joining "Today," Matt Lauer's rise to the top didn't take long. Even more impressive was how long his reign lasted. In November 2016, he extended his contract through to 2018, negotiating a new contract that paid him a reported $20 million a year. That placed him in the upper echelons of TV salaries, alongside the likes of controversial and allegedly shady TV shrink Dr. Phil (who was then raking in $88 million per year), Ellen DeGeneres (whose 2016 income was $75 million from her daytime juggernaut "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"), and "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest ($55 million per annum).

Interestingly, that hefty contract extension arrived mere months after Lauer received scathing reviews for his role moderating NBC News' Commander-in-Chief Forum, in which he interviewed presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Numerous media outlets criticized Lauer for what was viewed as outright sexism, interrogating Clinton in a manner deemed to be unnecessarily aggressive, while allowing Trump to steamroll right over him during their conversation. As Deadline pointed out, Lauer's bungling of the televised political event was met on social media with the sarcastic hashtag #LaueringTheBar.

Lauer, however, weathered that storm. What happened next, however, was far beyond his capabilities of survival.

Allegations that he'd sexually assaulted a Today colleague rocked NBC

In November 2017, Matt Lauer was at the top of his professional game when a Page Six report changed everything. That exclusive exposé detailed allegations that he'd sexually harassed a female co-worker while covering the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. "This happened so quickly. She didn't go to the media, she made a complaint to NBC's human resources, and her evidence was so compelling that Matt was fired on Tuesday night," a source told the outlet. "The victim says she has evidence that this has also happened to other women, but so far we don't have evidence of that."

Two years later, investigative journalist Ronan Farrow dug deeper into those allegations in his 2019 book, "Catch and Kill." The book featured an interview with Lauer's accuser, Brooke Nevils, whose identity was initially kept anonymous by NBC News. In her "Catch and Kill" interview, Nevils claimed that Lauer anally raped her. "Lauer, she said, didn't use lubricant," Farrow wrote, via a brief excerpt published in Variety. "The encounter was excruciatingly painful. 'It hurt so bad. I remember thinking, Is this normal?' She told me she stopped saying no, but wept silently into a pillow." 

Matt Lauer initially proclaimed his innocence

According to an NBC News report, when that initial complaint was made against Matt Lauer, HR professionals scoured records to see if there had been any previous complaints, or if any settlements had been paid. Those efforts, however, came up empty. 

The next step involved NBC executives approaching Lauer directly, confronting him with the allegations made against him. At first, Lauer denied any sexual misconduct whatsoever; an unidentified NBC News executive said that Lauer was "racking his brain and couldn't think of anything at all." 

Lauer later confessed to having sexual relations with Brooke Nevils but denied her claims that their encounter was non-consensual. "It is categorically false," Lauer said in a 2019 statement to Variety, refuting her allegation that he'd sexually assaulted her. "It began when she came to my hotel room very late one night in Sochi, Russia. We engaged in a variety of sexual acts. We performed oral sex on each other, we had vaginal sex, and we had anal sex. Each act was mutual and completely consensual."

He was fired due to 'inappropriate sexual behavior'

Shortly after Page Six broke the news of Matt Lauer's alleged sexual misconduct, NBC News took immediate action by firing him. Andy Lack, chairman of NBC News, sent a memo to staff, that was read to viewers the following morning on "Today" by Lauer's longtime co-anchor, Samantha Guthrie. "This is a sad morning at 'Today' and at NBC News," Guthrie, visibly emotional, said.

"On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer," continued Lack, noting that upon reviewing the evidence and the seriousness of the allegation, Lauer had clearly violated NBC's company standards. "As a result, we've decided to terminate his employment," he wrote, noting there was a likelihood that further allegations of a similar nature would emerge. "While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he's been at NBC News," Lack added, "we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."

More accusers came forward with further allegations of sexual misconduct

Sure enough, more allegations followed, with two more women coming forward with similar complaints against Matt Lauer. Then, Variety dropped a bombshell report featuring the stories of several more accusers. Their allegations were as specific as they were disturbing, including the account of one woman who claimed Lauer had dropped his pants and exposed himself to her and another who alleged he'd given her a sex toy as a gift, along with explicit written instructions of how he planned to use it on her. NBC News' Stephanie Gosk appeared on NBC's "Megyn Kelly Today," and told viewers that Lauer's alleged victims could number as many as eight. 

It was then that Lauer finally broke his silence, issuing a statement to NBC News that was, like the announcement of his firing, read by Savannah Guthrie on "Today." "There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions," Lauer said in his statement. "To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC." 

However, Lauer also remained adamant that not everything being reported about him had actually taken place. "Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed," he continued.

An NBC producer claimed network execs knew about Lauer's behaviour, but did nothing about it

In Variety's exposé detailing the allegations of multiple accusers, several women claimed they'd gone to their bosses with complaints about Matt Lauer but that nothing was ever done. Two years later, NBC News correspondent Linda Vester confirmed that pattern, which Ronan Farrow detailed in his 2019 book "Catch and Kill." "Ronan is reporting, among other things, that NBC apparently did know that Matt was a problem. And let me tell you, from having worked at NBC News for nearly a decade, everybody knew," Vester said during an appearance on Fox News (via Yahoo! Entertainment), admitting she found NBC's contention that Lauer's superiors had no idea about his escapades to be laughable. "We all knew Matt was dangerous. He had to be avoided at all costs. So for NBC executives to say they didn't know — I have a hard time with that."

Arguably, the most cringe-inducing detail to emerge from Lauer's scandal was the revelation that his desk was equipped with a special button that would instantly lock his office door, preventing alleged victims from exiting while barring entrance by anyone else. Lauer refuted reports about such a button. However, The Hollywood Reporter obtained a copy of an NBC memo sent to staff, which confirmed its existence. "According to the NBCUniversal facilities team, the button is a commonly available feature in executive offices in multiple NBCUniversal facilities to provide an efficient way to close the door without getting up from the
desk," read that memo.

Matt Lauer's wife left him and filed for divorce

Not only did multiple allegations of sexual misconduct crater Matt Lauer's television career, but they also marked the end of his marriage. Lauer had wed model Annette Roque 20 years earlier, but they officially separated shortly after his firing (a source claimed that they had already been living separately, even before the scandal). She filed for divorce in 2019, with the divorce finalized a few months later.

As an insider told Us Weekly, the writing had been on the wall long before Lauer's scandal erupted. "Annette wanted out of the marriage for a long time," said the source, adding that "she's been through hell." 

According to that source, Roque had put up with a lot over the years — including rumors that Lauer had once slept with NBC News colleague Natalie Morales. "There were cracks in the marriage from very early on," the source added. "Matt has always been a ladies' man, and there were affairs in the beginning." Backing up those claims is the fact that Roque actually filed for divorce more than a decade earlier, accusing Lauer of "cruel and inhumane" acts in her 2006 divorce filing. They later reconciled, and she withdrew the divorce, reportedly for the sake of the couple's three children.

He didn't receive any money from the remainder of his contract, and paid big bucks in his divorce

Given that Matt Lauer had renegotiated his salary just a year earlier, there was some initial speculation that he might be paid out for the remainder of his contract, which extended to 2018. At the time of his firing, an NBC spokesperson confirmed that because Lauer had been fired for cause, he would not be paid a single dime after being axed.

Despite not receiving the remainder of his $20 million-per-year salary, Lauer doesn't appear to be suffering financially; his net worth has been estimated at $80 million. He did, however, lose many more millions in his divorce from ex-wife Annette Roque; a source told Us Weekly that Lauer had agreed to pay Roque a lump-sum settlement of $25 million. 

However, Page Six reported that Lauer's payout to his ex was $20 million — still a considerable sum. "Matt's bending over backwards to give Annette everything she wants because he feels so guilty," a source told Page Six. That source also stated that Lauer felt he'd been railroaded, and that what he'd been accused of was nowhere near what happened. "Matt still maintains the relationships he had in the workplace were consensual," said the source. "He does feel like the poster boy of the #MeToo movement when he sees other high powered men hanging on to their jobs despite allegations."

Matt Lauer became a recluse on a sheep farm in New Zealand — and still managed to whip up scandal

After being fired, Matt Lauer initially holed up at his estate in the Hamptons. As time passed, he began spending more time at his multimillion-dollar sheep farm in New Zealand. Despite being numerous time zones away from his former home in New York, Lauer found himself portrayed in an unflattering light in 2018, making headlines about getting into a skirmish with the government over a popular hiking trail that traversed his property. Lauer contended that if the public were allowed to use his private property, the New Zealand government should compensate him a few hundred thousand dollars. 

Meanwhile, Lauer nearly lost the $9.2 million property altogether. Previously, the government investigated whether he should be allowed to maintain the lease of the 16,000-acre farm, Hunter Valley Station, due to a condition in the contract — to which every foreign buyer is subject — that foreign purchasers of a major asset be of "good character" (per The Associated Press). As part of that investigation, undertaken by New Zealand's Overseas Investment Office (OIO), government officials had been in contact with NBC to determine whether his character was decent enough to own Kiwi property. "Mr. Lauer has not been charged with any offence, nor convicted, and the evidence available to the OIO at this time does not establish that Mr. Lauer is unfit to continue to hold the asset," Lisa Barrett, an official at Land Information New Zealand, told AP in a statement. "However, in reaching this position, we do not condone the inappropriate way that Mr. Lauer has behaved."

Matt Lauer was accused by PETA of abusing sheep

Disputes over hiking trails and his moral fiber weren't the only controversies to dog Matt Lauer as he hid out in New Zealand. In 2024, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) issued a news release condemning Lauer for allegedly mistreating the sheep on his New Zealand farm. According to the release, an undercover investigation into Lauer's ranch revealed many incidences of animal abuse, including a farm worker stepping on a sheep's neck as it thrashed around, sheep being dragged across a floor, and even stitching up a wounded sheep without administering any painkillers to the animal. 

What made those "atrocities" all the more galling, noted the release, was that Lauer's ranch was one of several that produced ZQ-certified wool, which claims to be "the world's most ethical wool brand." PETA President Ingrid Newkirk was not impressed. "Matt Lauer's New Zealand getaway is hell for scared sheep who are flung about, pinned down, and cut up," she wrote. "PETA wants Lauer to wash his hands of the bloody wool business — and asks that anyone upset by the cruelty we have uncovered in the sheep sheds choose only vegan materials."

When the New York Post reached out to a rep, the outlet was told Lauer had no knowledge of any of the alleged abuse uncovered by PETA. "[Lauer] was deeply disturbed and saddened to hear of what allegedly has happened, and immediately launched his own investigation of his tenant's operations, which is currently underway," said the rep in a statement. "When all the facts are known, he will take immediate and appropriate actions."

Matt Lauer reportedly plotted a long-shot Today comeback — or a teamup with Hoda Kotb

When Hoda Kotb announced her plans to exit "Today" (which were reportedly messier than we thought), Matt Lauer saw an opportunity to get his job back after his downfall. As a source told In Touch Weekly, Lauer hatched a long-shot scheme to take over the anchor spot to be vacated by Kotb. "Matt's hoping for a miracle," the source told the outlet. "He knows his chances are slim, but he's convinced now is his moment to reclaim the throne at 'Today.'" Another source echoed that, stating, "There's not a day that goes by when Matt doesn't dream of returning to the show and taking over for Hoda. He still thinks he's innocent and was unfairly convicted in the court of public opinion. He hopes that one day, others will agree with him too!"

That report, followed the earlier claims of a source who told In Touch Weekly that Lauer was hoping to team up with Kotb for a project, so she could bring him back from the abyss. "She could make him respectable again," the source said. If that all sounds like a fanciful pipe dream, that's pretty much the way an unnamed NBC insider characterized the sources' claims. "There's NO WAY that is happening," an NBC source declared. "Matt Lauer back on 'Today?' Not a chance ... His time is up — he'll never set foot in NBC ever again."

Matt Lauer lives a low-key life out of the spotlight

With any hopes of returning to "Today" apparently dashed, what does Matt Lauer's life look like, more than seven years after his downfall? According to a 2024 report in People, he's been gradually making moves to reclaim his old life, reconnecting with friends from his "Today" days. As a friend of Lauer's told the outlet, the fact he'd reached out to his former pals represented a marked difference for him. "There was a time there where he wasn't really talking to anybody," said the source. "He's actually doing well and happy. He doesn't work and he doesn't have to," the friend added noting that Lauer is content to live privately, spending time with girlfriend, Shamin Abas.

While he still has a lavish home on Long Island, Lauer has reportedly spent more time in New Zealand. "He sold his house in the Hamptons because he wants to spend more time at his place in New Zealand," a source told People in 2023. "He feels peace there, loves it, loves the people, and it's good for his productivity level."

Meanwhile, another source told People that Lauer has consciously been avoiding the spotlight, and makes it a point to keep himself out of the news cycle as much as he can. "Matt still gets trash talked and he doesn't want to give people any added options for it, so he and Shamin keep a very low profile," noted that source.