One day after his firing from NBC’s Today show as a result of allegations of sexual misconduct, co-anchor Matt Lauer has broken his silence. Lauer’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie read his apology on air Thursday morning.
Matt Lauer has been a staple of American morning television for more than 20 years, and news of his behavior and his abrupt firing shocked and shook many people who’ve watched him in their living rooms day in and day out.
Lauer had been a co-host of the Today show since January of 1997, covered the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year, and was a regular correspondent for NBC during several Olympic Games.
While this news came as a shock to many, CNN reported that fellow NBC colleagues of Lauer’s weren’t completely surprised — several major news outlets had been investigating claims against Lauer for a while.
And mere hours after the initial announcement of his firing, this proved to be true. Variety reported accounts of three women who accused Lauer of sexual harassment. He once gave a colleague a sex toy as a present. On another occasion, he summoned a different female employee to his office and dropped his pants. Included in the report was the beyond creepy detail that Lauer “had a button under his desk that allowed him to lock his door from the inside without getting up.”
On the Today show on Thursday morning, Guthrie read Matt Lauer’s full statement of apology in the wake of the allegations against him…
“Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul-searching and I’m committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full-time job. The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my own troubling flaws. It’s been humbling. I am blessed to be surrounded by the people I love. I thank them for their patience and grace.”