Fired Matt Lauer accused of sexually assaulting co-worker, more allegations expected to surface

Matt Lauer, who was fired from NBC as co-host of the Today show Tuesday night, was accused of sexually assaulting a co-worker during the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.

The New York Post claims a source has come forward with details of the sexual assault allegation, and said the alleged victim, a female NBC staffer, is the same person who submitted a detailed complaint to NBC’s Human Resources department, which led to Lauer’s firing.

“This happened so quickly,” the source reportedly told the New York Post.

“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. The victim says she has evidence that this has also happened to other women, but so far we don’t have evidence of that.”

But Lauer was reportedly the subject of ongoing investigative reporting at both the New York Times and Variety. 

Variety reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister posted a tweet Wednesday morning claiming there were “accusations” against the veteran Today show host.

NBC News chairman Andy Lack announced Lauer’s firing in a statement, first shared with NBC employees:

“On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment. While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over twenty years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.

Our 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. But we will face it together as a news organization – and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.”

Lauer’s firing comes just a week after Charlie Rose, also a veteran and well-liked morning news show anchor, was fired from CBS after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

 

 

[Feature image: Associated Press]