Matt Lauer made a name for himself as a beloved host of NBC's Today, alongside the groundbreaking
likes of Katie Couric and Savannah Guthrie.
So how did he go from beloved TV news host to disgraced former star?
This is the transformation of Matt Lauer.
Picture this scenario: You go back to your mom's house for a long weekend and you're
in the living room when she flips on the television.
There, sitting perfectly center-screen is the then-beloved Matt Lauer, recounting the
headlines of the day, all while adoring fans hold signs and wave to the cameras at 30 Rock.
For an extensive period of time, it seemed that Lauer, NBC, and 30 Rock were synonymous
beings — and we can imagine that symbiotic relationship brought Lauer a lot of joy and
pride.
After all, he is a true New Yorker.
Lauer was born to Marilyn and Jay Lauer, on December 30, 1957 in the great city of New
York.
As noted by Celebrity Net Worth, his mom owned a boutique, and his dad worked as an executive
for a bicycle company.
While Lauer eventually ventured out of the Big Apple for college at Ohio University,
it's safe to say that the city held a very special place in his life, given that his
early life and the bulk of his career blossomed in the streets of New York.
The sentiment that you need a college education to be successful is rampant, but that wasn't
the case for Matt Lauer.
Lauer dropped out of Ohio University in 1979, just four credits shy of graduating, in order
to work at WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia.
He became the producer for the station's noon broadcast, and later became a reporter for
their 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts.
After earning his chops at the station, Lauer moved on to co-hosting “PM Magazine” in
it’s local productions in Richmond, Providence, and New York City between 1980 until 1986,
according to CelebrityNetWorth.
Of his time in Rhode Island, Lauer told the Providence Journal that he "hated leaving"
his gig with Channel 10, calling his time there, quote, "a couple of real good years."
Lauer told the publication:
"People in Providence treated us like royalty.
I was lovin' it.
I hated leaving there."
While with Channel 10, Lauer worked with the likes of Doug White and Sheila Martines, the
latter of which kept in touch after Lauer moved to NBC's Today.
Following his time with Channel 10, Lauer moved back to New York to pursue the next
leg of his career.
After leaving Channel 10, Matt Lauer came back to New York, but his hosting gigs didn't
stick.
As noted by Journal-News, Lauer's string of short-lived gigs started in 1986 with the
WNYW show Made In New York, which only lasted for 15 weeks.
The year 1988 brought Lauer the hosting gig of Talk of the Town for WNEW-TV in Boston,
followed by a two-year stint as host of the three-hour live interview show 9 Broadcast
Plaza for WWOR-TV.
In 1990, Lauer was the host of a pilot show called Day In Court before he went to work
for the Travel Channel as the co-host of Etc., Etc., but the show didn't last for long.
By 1992, Lauer was starting to make some moves that would stick.
He became the co-anchor of Today in New York for WNBC-TV alongside Jane Hanson and worked
as a "newsreader" on NBC's Today when needed.
Between 1992 and 1997, Lauer co-hosted both Weekend Today and NBC News at Sunrise but
really took significant career steps when he subbed in for Bryant Gumble, who was the
host of Today at the time.
After a number of short-lived co-hosting gigs, Matt Lauer finally got his big break.
Lauer replaced Bryant Gumbel as host of NBC's Today in 1997, after serving as the show's
newsreader.
While the move certainly made sense given Lauer's existing presence on the show, the
newly minted host was reportedly very nervous to undertake the role.
According to The New York Times, Lauer's first week on the job was, quote, "full of jitters
and awkwardness," but his nerves certainly didn't seem to turn away viewers — Lauer's
first week as host was the show's second-highest viewed week in history at the time.
The production team behind the storied news network was obviously very happy with the
decision to bump Lauer up to the leading role as host.
Matt Lauer had a lot of career momentum in 1997, but his personal life was also gaining
some ground.
As noted by Yahoo!
Life, 1997 was also the year that he met Annette Roque, a Dutch-born model who made a name
for herself in cosmetic advertisements.
When she moved to New York City, she was modeling for brands such as J. Crew and Victoria's
Secret, and based on reports about their blind date, Lauer and Roque hit it off right away.
The pair were engaged just five months after they met, and they got married in Water Mill,
New York in October 1998.
The couple ultimately had three children together.
If you're over the age of 25, chances are you can recall exactly where you were on September
11, 2001.
For those born after that fateful event, the date still stands in remembrance.
As for Matt Lauer, the world-shattering event marked one of his most prominent performances
as a news anchor, as he was on the air when the attack commenced.
Lauer was interviewing writer Richard Hack about a new book when he was stopped mid-interview.
"We want to go live right now and show you a picture of the World Trade Center, where
I understand… do we have it?
No we do not."
He was informed that there was a photo to be shown on live television, and after a technical
mishap, the camera cut to Lauer and co-host Katie Couric.
The footage of Lauer covering one of the world's most devastating stories can still be seen
on YouTube, and his remarks when the plane crashed into the second tower are harrowing.
"What we've just seen is about the most shocking video tape I've ever seen."
The footage of Lauer and Couric reporting on the attacks can also be seen in the 9/11
memorial museum in New York City.
Breaking through the glass ceiling in business and politics has been the goal of countless
women who have all strived to take a seat in traditionally male-occupied roles.
When it was Hillary Clinton's turn to represent the Democratic party in the 2016 presidential
election, she wasn't just at the mercy of voters' opinions and political pundits — she
also had to contend with the ways in which hosts and debate moderators treated her, which
were clearly rooted in sexism.
Cue Matt Lauer, who came under intense fire for his treatment of Clinton after a live,
primetime forum that featured both her and then-competitor Donald Trump.
"Right but you said they were going to cheat?"
"Right but let me… wait.
Look, this is an important issue.
I know we're on TV and don't have a lot of time."
"I want to get to a lot of questions."
As noted by The New York Times, Lauer was accused of, quote, "unfairness, sloppiness
and even sexism" in his handling of the event, as he consistently interrupted Clinton and
refused to fact-check Trump after he made wildly inaccurate claims about Iraq.
"I was totally against the war in Iraq."
Lauer's handling of the forum was so bad that political advisers and members of the journalism
community took to social media to express their outrage.
Former Barack Obama aide Tommy Vietor posted,
"How in the hell does Lauer not factcheck Trump lying about Iraq?
This is embarrassingly bad."
For almost 20 years, Matt Lauer served as a fixture of morning television.
And while his on-screen persona was that of a trusted, reliable anchor, Lauer's reported
behavior behind closed doors was disturbing, and ultimately led to his departure from NBC.
As noted by The New York Times, a former employee came forward with harrowing accusations against
Lauer, telling The Times that Lauer had called her to his office back in 2001, locked the
door behind her, and proceeded to assault her.
She recalled passing out, and having to seek medical attention after the attack, but she
did not come forward with her story for fear of being shamed or reprimanded.
Over 15 years later, she made her experience known, and NBC fired Lauer as a result.
Andrew Lack, the NBC News chairman, wrote in a staff memo at the time:
"While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he's been at
NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated
incident."
Lauer said in a statement that he had, quote, "sorrow and regret" for the pain he had caused.
Matt Lauer's fall from grace was certainly shocking to some, and more than two years
later, additional information about his alleged behavior during his time as a Today co-host
came to light.
As noted by Us Weekly, journalist Ronan Farrow released a book entitled Catch and Kill in
2019, in which former NBC employee and assistant to NBC star Meredith Vieira, Brooke Nevils,
claimed that Lauer sexually assualted her at the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014.
Nevils recounted to Farrow:
"It was nonconsensual in the sense that I was too drunk to consent."
In response to the troubling allegations, Lauer released a lengthy statement, refuting
all notions that the encounter was not consensual.
Lauer's statement read:
"The story Brooke tells is filled with false details intended only to create the impression
this was an abusive encounter.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
I have never assaulted anyone or forced anyone to have sex.
Period."
As noted by the Daily Mail, it was reportedly Vieira who encouraged Nevils to come forward
with her story.
While Matt Lauer's professional life went up in flames, so did his personal life.
Details about his marriage to Annette Roque came to light in the wake of his dismissal
from NBC, and an inside source shared with Us Weekly that Roque had wanted to end her
marriage to Lauer for some time.
The insider told the outlet:
"Annette wanted out of the marriage for a long time.
She stayed for Matt's career — and, more important, for their kids [...] she's been
through hell."
The inside source divulged that there had been, quote, "cracks" in the union between
Lauer and Roque for some time, and that Lauer's behavior as a, quote, "ladies' man" had taken
its toll on their marriage.
The insider went on to tell Us Weekly:
"There were affairs in the beginning, [but Annette] chose to believe Matt's denials [during
their marriage]."
In September 2019, Lauer and Roque's divorce was finalized, as noted by People, and the
exes stated that their primary focus was the well-being of their three children.
As noted by Page Six, Lauer was, quote, "bending over backwards" to give Roque what she wanted
during their divorce proceedings, and it was reported that she walked away with a figure
as high as $20 million.
Since leaving NBC, Matt Lauer has kept a low profile, and he doesn't have a ton of friends
in his corner.
As noted by People, Lauer has been living in the Hamptons and has been spending time
with his children.
He is also romantically involved with Shamin Abas, a Welsh businesswoman.
Despite getting his personal life slightly back on track, Lauer reportedly misses the
rush of work and wants to get back in the game.
A friend of Lauer's shared with People that the disgruntled anchor, quote, "wants to work
again" and has spent time trying to disavow Ronan Farrow's aforementioned reports that
he sexually assaulted Brooke Nevils.
A close friend of Lauer's told People:
"[Matt Lauer] believes strongly that Ronan did not verify the information pertaining
to him."
Lauer's close friend also told People that heading back to work and, quote, "doing the
journalistic work he loves" is in Lauer's future.
Another source told People:
"Matt cares so much about what people think about him, even though he might not want to
admit that."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline
at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).