Matt Lauer hosted the Today show for more than two decades before he was fired following allegations of sexual misconduct.
“There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions,” Lauer told Us Weekly in a 2017 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 another at home and at NBC.”
He continued, “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. I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly.”
Keep scrolling for more on Lauer’s Today exit:
When Was Matt Lauer Fired From ‘Today?’
Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb revealed during a November 2017 broadcast that Matt Lauer had been fired after coworker Brooke Nevils accused the TV journalist of sexual misconduct.
“I feel like we owe it to our viewers to pause for a moment. You know, this is shocking and appalling and I honestly don’t even know what to say about it,” Guthrie said during the live broadcast. “I know it wasn’t easy for our colleague Brooke to come forward then, it’s not easy now, and we support her and any women who have come forward with claims. It’s just very painful for all of us at NBC and at the Today show. It’s very, very, very difficult.”
Why Was Matt Lauer Fired From ‘Today?’
Matt Lauer was fired in fall 2017 after being accused of sexual misconduct in the workplace. His NBC colleague Brooke Nevils claimed that she had nonconsensual sex with Lauer while they traveled to Russia to cover the 2014 Winter Olympics. He denied the allegations.
“It began when she came to my hotel room very late one night in Sochi, Russia. We engaged in a variety of sexual acts,” he said in a letter obtained by Us in 2017. “We performed oral sex on each other, we had vaginal sex and we had anal sex. Each act was mutual and completely consensual.”
In addition to Nevils’ allegations, Variety conducted a two-month investigation into Lauer’s behavior and reported that Lauer gave another coworker a sex toy and exposed himself to a third. He similarly denounced the claims.
Was Matt Lauer Married Amid the Scandal?
Matt Lauer was married to Annette Roque when he was fired from Today.
“In response to your inquiry, our client has asked us to tell you that now that the parties are officially divorced, her priority and only concern is for their wonderful children,” Roque’s lawyer told People in October 2019. “Our client will make no further statements.”
Roque filed for divorce in July 2019, and the proceedings were finalized in September 2019. Lauer and Roque share three children: Jack, Romy and Thijs.
Family friend Hilary Gumbel later told Us how Lauer’s kids were coping in light of the scandal.
“We get together every now and then. The kids are doing much better, which means a lot,” Gumbel told Us exclusively in December 2019.
What Happened to Matt Lauer’s Accuser Brooke Nevils?
Brooke Nevils took a leave of absence from her role as a producer at NBC, which eventually became permanent. She later detailed her account of the incident in her 2026 memoir, Unspeakable Things.
“The day after I made my complaint, Matt was questioned by NBC and fired by NBC News chairman Andrew Lack later that night,” she wrote, per an excerpt published by New York Magazine’s The Cut in January 2026. “The next day, an investigative reporter was texting my personal cell phone. Eventually a tabloid began calling my coworkers at 30 Rock, apparently asking whether they were aware that I was Matt’s ‘mistress who’d gotten him fired.’ After that, I made it a few more months before taking a leave of absence that would ultimately prove permanent.”
According to Nevils, her life had become a “train wreck.”
“I was compulsive, paranoid and drinking all the time. I felt I’d ruined everything, hurt and embarrassed everyone I loved,” she wrote. “Soon I would find myself in a psych ward, believing myself so worthless and damaged that the world would be better off without me.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.
