MATT LAUER, THE NBC MORNING ANCHOR WAS APPARENTLY FIRED
TODAY,
THIS MORNING PRETTY EARLY OVER DETAILED SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
ALLEGATIONS.
THERE WAS ORIGINALLY IN THE MORNING ONE SET OF
ALLEGATIONS AND SINCE THEN, OTHERS HAVE COME OUT,
ACTUALLY NOT LONG BEFORE WE BEGIN THE SHOW, TWO ADDITIONAL
WOMEN CAME FORWARD ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE WITH MATT LAUER.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE REACTIONS OF SOME OF HIS
COHOSTS AND COWORKERS BUT FIRST, SOME OF THE INFORMATION
ABOUT WHAT HE IS ALLEGED TO HAVE DONE.
THE FIRST:
IT GOES ON
TO SAY:
AND THIS IS PERHAPS, THIS IS JUST BIZARRE.
THESE ARE THIS POINT ALLEGATIONS, BUT THAT SEEMS
VERIFIABLE.
COME ON DOCTOR THE HAVE THE BUTTON?
IF HE DOES HAVE THE BUTTON, THAT IS HARD TO EXPLAIN.
THERE'S A WHOLE SECRET WORLD THAT APPARENTLY WE WERE TOTALLY
UNFAMILIAR WITH AND WHEN I SAY WE, I MEAN THE WOMEN WHO DID NOT
SUFFER AND THE MEN WHO DID NOT PERPETRATED, I DON'T KNOW, I
LIVED IN THIS NICE SUBURB AND WE DIDN'T HAVE WEIRD STUFF GOING
ON, AND I GUESS I LEAD A SECLUDED LIFE AND DIDN'T REALIZE
THAT PEOPLE LOCKED THEIR DOORS WITH THE SECRET BUTTON AND
DROPPED THEIR PANTS TO THEIR COWORKERS.
THAT'S INSANE.
SO LOOK, VARYING DEGREES, AND I KNOW SOME PEOPLE HATE IT
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT DEGREES, BUT DEGREES DO MATTER.
IT'S ONE THING WHEN A NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER IS COMING
ONTO WOMEN WHEN HE IS DRUNK AND KISSES THEM AND TRIES TO
KISS THEM AND THEY SAY NO AND HE BACKS AWAY.
OKAY, IT IS ONE THING IF MATT LAUER IS
GIVING A VIBRATOR TO A FRIEND AND THE JOKE DIDN'T LAND AND IT
WAS TAKEN VERY POORLY.
IT IS ANOTHER THING WHEN HE GIVES
A VIBRATOR AND HE SAYS THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD USE ON
YOURSELF AND IT IS A COWORKER.
NO.
THERE'S SOMETHING WORSE.
BY THE WAY, IT'S A THIRD THING WHEN HE JUST DROPS HIS
PANTS AND IS LIKE GIVE ME SOMETHING.
BUT IT'S ROGER AILES.
IT IS LIKE A LOT OF THE OTHER MEN.
THEY ALL LOVE TO PULL DOWN THEIR PANTS.
WOULD YOU LIKE A
FOURTH THING?
THIS IS ONE OF THE COMPLAINTS THAT CAME OUT LATER
IN
THE DAY:
THIS IS THE VERIFICATION THAT THIS GOES BEYOND
HARASSMENT, BEYOND IMPLIED THREATS, JOKES, WHICH ARE BAD
ENOUGH BY THEMSELVES TO ACTUALLY USING THE IMPLIED THREAT OF A
WOMAN LOSING HER CAREER TO FORCE A WOMAN TO HAVE SEX WITH
YOU ACCORDING TO THE COMPLAINT.
LOOK, I'M BLOWN AWAY BY IT.
I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY MEN DID THIS TO WOMEN THEY WORKED WITH.
THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT HAVE NO AMBIGUITY AT ALL.
IT DOESN'T MATTER.
FUCK, MARRY, KILL.
YOU WANT TO PLAY THE GAME WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND PEOPLE WANT TO
JOKE AROUND ON HOWARD STERN.
NO ONE IS GOING TO
GET IN YOUR PRIVATE LIFE AND WHAT YOU DID IN THE LIVING ROOM
WITH
YOUR BUDDIES.
WHEN YOU ARE DOING IT WITH PEOPLE
YOU WORK WITH AND JOKING AROUND WITH WOMEN YOU WOULD LIKE
TO HAVE SEX WITH WHO WORK UNDER YOU, NOT COOL.
SLEEPING WITH THAT WOMAN, AND MAYBE MATT LAUER, IN HIS MIND,
AND I
DON'T KNOW HIM AT ALL, THOUGHT IT WAS CONSENSUAL AND DID NOT
REALIZE THE ENORMOUS PRESSURE HE PUT HER ON, I'M NOT SAYING
THAT THAT IN ANY WAY, DON'T GET ME WRONG.
I'M JUST TELLING YOU ABOUT DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES THAT
MAYBE THAT'S THE EXCUSE THAT HE MAKES TO HIMSELF WHICH
DOESN'T JUSTIFY IT NOT EVEN 1%,
BUT THE PART WHERE YOU GO, HERE, LOCK THE DOOR, DROP YOUR
PANTS, DO THIS TO ME, THERE'S NO AMBIGUITY.
IT IS AMAZING HOW MUCH THEY ABUSE THEIR POWER.
THESE GUYS WHO ARE ON TOP OF THE WORLD.
DO YOU KNOW HOW
MUCH MONEY HE MADE?
28 MILLION.
A YEAR.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
GET LAID ON YOUR OWN TIME YOU IDIOT AND WHY ARE YOU ABUSING
THOSE POOR WOMEN WHO ARE WORKING UNDERNEATH YOU?
ARE YOU DOING THAT?
YOU KNOW WHY?
IT MUST BE A POWER THING.
MAYBE WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THAT POWERFUL.
THEY MUST ENJOY
PUTTING PEOPLE IN A POSITION WHERE THEY'RE FORCED TO DO
SOMETHING.
WHETHER IT'S WEINSTEIN OR A O'REILLY, IT SEEMS LIKE
IT'S THE SAME STORY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
IT IS LIKE THAT SEX IS ALMOST INCIDENTAL TO THEM.
IT IS THE FEELING OF EXERTION OF POWER.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE WITH THE BUTTON UNDER THE TABLE AND
THESE ARE WOULD'VE COME OUT NOW, IS ANYBODY GOING TO BE
SHOCKED OF TOMORROW THERE ARE MORE.
NOT OTHER PEOPLE, JUST PHYSICALLY MET DIANA KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT HIM OR THE ALLEGATIONS BUT IT SEEMS
LIKE THE BEGINNING OF A PATTERN TAUGHT
GUYS, THE REASON I GO THROUGH ALL THE POTENTIAL AMBIGUITY
IS BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE STILL THINK IT IS NO BIG DEAL, IT
IS NO BIG DEAL.
THERE IS A BUTTON UNDER HIS TABLE TO LOCK THE DOOR.
THERE'S NO OTHER EXPLANATION FOR THAT.
I CAN GUARANTEE THERE NO WEIRD BUTTONS UNDER THIS TABLE.
THERE'S A NOISE MACHINE.
THAT IS WHERE ANOTHER WAY BUT IT IS NOT THREATENING NECESSARILY.
THE BUTTONS THOUGH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'LL DO.
OH YEAH.
I THINK IT'S WEIRD.
I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THAT USE OF THAT BUTTON.