>>> PLUS OUR MONTH OF MERRY FREEBIE TRAIN ROLLS ON THROUGH.
ALL THAT AND MORE ON "MEGYN
KELLY TODAY" RIGHT NOW.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> GOOD MORNING.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW, EVERYBODY.
HAPPY FRIDAY.
IM MEGYN KELLY.
SO IN THE NEWS TODAY, SPACE
ALIENS MAY BE COMING AND I AM DRESSED FOR SUCCESS WITH THEM
DRESSED FOR SUCCESS WITH THE MOTHERSHIP.
MOTHERSHIP.
I DONT KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF YOU.NT KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF
YOU.
YES, YOUVE GOT YOUR SPARKLES ON, YOUVE GOT YOUR BLINKINGS
ON, YOUVE GOT YOUR BLINKING LIGHTS.
LIGHTS.
WERE GOOD.
THE REST OF YOU WILL JUST HAVE
TO HOLD ON TO THE COAT TAILS.
WELL HAVE A FULL REPORT ON WHAT
THE HECK THAT THING IS ABOVE US. >>> WE BEGIN ON A SERIOUS NOTES.
>>> WE BEGIN ON A SERIOUS NOTE WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS INTO THE
INVESTIGATION INTO ALLEGATIONS
OF INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
AGAINST MATT LAUER.
AS YOU KNOW, LAUER WAS FIRED FROM HIS LONG-TERM JOB AS HOST
OF THE "TODAY" SHOW LAST MONTH
AFTER AN NBC EMPLOYEE ACCUSED
HIM OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
NOW THE LAWYER REPRESENTING THAT
NBC EMPLOYEE IS SPEAKING OUT.
THIS AS ANOTHER WOMAN COMES
FORWARD, ACCUSING LAUER OF
INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN
THE WORKPLACE.
THE WORKPLACE. NBCS STEPHANIE GOSK HAS MORE.
>> Reporter: IN HIS 20 YEARS AT
THE "TODAY" SHOW, MATT LAUER HAD
BECOME ONE OF THE BIGGEST NAMES
IN THE MEDIA WORLD, BUT IT TOOK
ONE WOMAN COMING FORWARD WITH
HER STORY, ACCORDING TO NBC
NEWS, AND ROUGHLY 24 HOURS
LATER, HE WAS GONE.
HER ATTORNEY, ARI WILKENFELD,
SPOKE WITH US EXCLUSIVELY.
>> SHE GAVE HER NAME, SHE TOLD
HER STORY.
HER STORY. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE
INTERVIEW SHE WAS ASKED WHAT DO
YOU WANT?
YOU WANT? AND SHE SAID, I WANT YOU GUYS TO
DO THE RIGHT THING.
AND ALSO ID LIKE YOU TO
MAINTAIN MY CONFIDENTIALITY.
>> WHAT WAS IT LIKE EMOTIONALLY
FOR HER?
FOR HER? >> I THINK IT WAS DIFFICULT LIKE
IT IS FOR ALL VICTIMS OF SEXUAL
HARASSMENT.
HARASSMENT.
ITS SCARY.
AND THATS WHY MANY WOMEN WANT
TO HAVE THOSE MEETINGS AND THEN WANT TO GO HOME, CLOSE THEIRHEN
WANT TO GO HOME, CLOSE THEIR DOOR AND NEVER BE HEARD FROM
AGAIN.
AGAIN.
>> DOES SHE LIVE WITH THIS FEAR THAT SHES GOING TO BE FOUNDFEAR
THAT SHES GOING TO BE FOUND OUT?
OUT?
>> MY CLIENT IS TERRIFIED. AND SHE DOES LIVE IN CONSTANT
FEAR THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO
TRACK HER DOWN AND FIGURE OUT
WHO SHE IS.
SHE FEELS BADLY FOR THE MANY
OTHER WOMEN WHO ARE SUSPECTED OF
BEING HER, WHO ARE ALSO BEING
HOUNDED AND HARASSED.
>> LITTLE HAS BEEN MADE PUBLIC
ABOUT HIS CLIENTS RELATIONSHIP
WITH LAUER, BUT ACCORDING TO NBC
EXECUTIVE ITS, THE MISCONDUCT
BEGAN DURING THE 2014 SOCHI
OLYMPICS.
OLYMPICS. WILKENFELD SAID NBC HASNT DONE
ENOUGH TO PROTECT HER IDENTITY.
>> CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC ON
WHERE THEY HAVE FALLEN SHORT?
>> I CAN SAY THAT NBC HAS A DUTY
TO MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIALITY.
THAT MEANS TO MAINTAIN SECRECY
OVER HER NAME AND TO HOLD TO
THEMSELVES THE DETAILS OF HER
STORY.
STORY.
THEY HAVE NOT DONE A GOOD JOB OF
DOING THAT.
THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY HAVE
DONE AND THEY NEED TO STOP.
>> IN A PAST STATEMENT, HE WROTE
THAT NBC ACTED QUICKLY AND
RESPONSIBLY AN NBC SPOKESPERSON
SAID THE NETWORK HAS PROTECTED
THE EMPLOYEES ANONYMITY ALL
ALONG AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.NG AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO
SO.
>> THERES A HUNT UNDER WAY TO
FIGURE OUT WHO SHE IS, AND I THINK THATS GOING TO HAVE AI
THINK THATS GOING TO HAVE A CHILLING EFFECT ON OTHER WOMEN
WHO MIGHT WANT TO COME FORWARD
AND TELL THEIR STORIES.
>> Reporter: HE WOULD NOT
SPECIFY HOW NBC FAILED TO KEEP
HIS CLIENTS IDENTITY SECRET.
>> SHES BEEN INCREDIBLY BRAVE,
AND SHES HELPED PROTECT THE
OTHER WOMEN WHO WORK THE ANBC.
SHES ALSO SHINED A LIGHT ON THE
DIFFERENT WAYS WOMEN CAN COME
FORWARD.
FORWARD.
>> DO YOU THINK THAT WE ARE AT AN INFLECTION POINT RIGHT NOWT
AN INFLECTION POINT RIGHT NOW FOR OUR SOCIETY?
>> I REALLY HOPE SO.
I HOPE WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO GO
BEYOND OUTRAGE AND TAKEDOWN JOBS
TO FUNDAMENTALLY ALTERING THE
WAY OUR CULTURE WORKS AND THE
WAY OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE WORKS.
I THINK MEN NEED TO BE -- MEN
NEED TO STEP FORWARD AND START
PROTECTING WOMEN IN THE
WORKPLACE WHEN THEY SEE THEM
BEING HARASSED.
BEING HARASSED. >> Reporter: AND THIS MORNING
ANOTHER WOMAN HAS COME FORWARD,
THE FIRST TO DO SO PUBLICLY.
A FORMER PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
FOR THE "TODAY" SHOW SAYS SHE
HAD A MONTH-LONG SEXUAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH LAUER IN 2000,
RIGHT BEFORE SHE WAS ABOUT TO
LEAVE THE COMPANY.
SHE SAYS LAUER BEGAN SENDING HER
FLATTERING MESSAGES.
FLATTERING MESSAGES. MESSAGES SHE PRINTED OUT.
THEN HE INVITED HER TO HIS
DRESSING ROOM.
DRESSING ROOM.
IT WAS A CONSENSUAL ENCOUNTER
SHE FIRST TOLD "VARIETY" BUT SHE
WAS 24 AND HE WAS ONE OF THE
MOST POWERFUL MEN IN THE
COMPANY.
EVEN THOUGH MY SITUATION WITH
MATT WAS CONSENSUAL, I
ULTIMATELY FELT LIKE A VICTIM
BECAUSE OF THE POWER DYNAMIC.
NBC NEWS DECLINED TO COMMENT ON THE "VARIETY" STORY. COMMENT ON
THE "VARIETY" STORY. MATT LAUER HAS BEEN TERMINATED
BY NBC FOR INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR IN THE WORKPLACE.
>> AND STEPHANIE JOINS ME NOW.
STEPHANIE, THANK YOU FOR BEING
HERE.
HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> HE FEELS THAT TOO MUCH WAS
LEAKED ABOUT THIS FIRST ACCUSER WHOSE STORY ULTIMATELY GOT MATT
FIRED.
FIRED.
WHAT HAS NBC SAID IN RESPONSE TO
THAT?
>> NBC HAS SAID THAT THEY HAVE
DONE EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN TO PROTECT HER IDENTITY.THEY CAN TO
PROTECT HER IDENTITY. YOU KNOW, I PUSHED THE LAWYER ON
THIS ISSUE BECAUSE HE WASNT
SPECIFIC WITH US ON WHAT NBC HAD
DONE.
DONE.
HE DIDNT -- I MEAN THIS WAS IN HIS WORDS.- I MEAN THIS WAS IN
HIS WORDS. HE SAID HE DIDNT WANT TO DUST
OFF THE TRAIL.
BUT YOU CAN REALLY TELL IN OUR
INTERVIEW WITH HIM HOW CONCERNED
HE IS ABOUT HIS CLIENT AND THIS
EFFORT TO FIND OUT WHO SHE IS.
>> ITS BEEN WIDELY REPORTED
THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED BETWEEN
MATT AND THIS WOMAN AT THE SOCHI
OLYMPICS COVERAGE, THAT THAT WAS
THE FIRST INSTANCE, AND THAT
THINGS WENT FROM THERE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE IS A
QUESTION ABOUT HOW DO WE KNOW
THAT?
THAT?
THAT HASNT BEEN OFFICIALLY PUT OUT BY ANYBODY. OFFICIALLY PUT
OUT BY ANYBODY. >> WELL, NBC EXECUTIVES HAVE
SAID AND HELD MEETINGS AND IT
HAS BEEN CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS
2014 AT SOCHI.
AND ALTHOUGH THERES A LARGE
GROUP FROM NBC THAT GOES TO THE
OLYMPICS, NOT JUST FROM THE
"TODAY" SHOW BUT WITH SPORTS AND
ALL OF OUR ENTITIES, IT IS IT
NARROW THE POOL, FOR SURE.
>> IT NARROWS THE POOL, RIGHT.
NOW, THIS NEW ACCUSER ADMITS
THAT IT WAS CONSENSUAL.
JUST SO YOU KNOW, PRODUCTION
ASSISTANT IS VERY LOW ON THE
TOTEM POLE.
TOTEM POLE.
>> THEY ARE AN INTERN PRODUCTION
ASSISTANT.
>> SHES VERY YOUNG, ABOUT TO
LEAVE THE COMPANY, GOT THE TOP
LINE MESSAGES FROM HIM.
WHAT KIND OF REACTION IS SHE
GETTING ONLINE?
>> IF YOU GO TO "VARIETYS" WEBSITE AND SEE THE COMMENTS,
SHE IS JUST BEING ABSOLUTELY
LAMBASTED BY PEOPLE.
AND THE CRITICISM IS IN HER 20s,
SHE SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE
RAMIFICATIONS OF A SEXUAL
RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE.
SHE BEARS SOME RESPONSIBILITY
FOR WHAT HAPPENED.
>> HE WAS NEWLY MARRIED WHEN HE BEGAN THAT RELATIONSHIP?WHEN HE
BEGAN THAT RELATIONSHIP? >> YEAH.
>> YEAH. AND WHAT I WOULD SAY TO THAT IS
I THINK THATS RIGHT.
I THINK THERE IS SOME
RESPONSIBILITY SHARED.
BUT I THINK WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO CONSIDER AS WELL IS THAT PEOPLE
IN THEIR 20s THAT ENTER
PARTICULARLY A COMPLICATED
WORKPLACE LIKE THIS ONE, THEY
HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO UNDERSTANDING
OF WHAT THE RAMIFICATIONS OF
THEIR ACTIONS ARE GOING TO BE.
FOR A WOMAN IN PARTICULAR TO
CHOOSE TO HAVE THAT AFFAIR, A
MISTAKE.
MISTAKE.
SHE LOOKS BACK ON IT, THAT WAS A
MISTAKE.
SHE SHOULD HAVE SAID NO,
PERHAPS.
MAYBE SHES THINKING THAT.
THATS GOING TO BE SOMETHING
THAT -- ESPECIALLY IF SHE STAYED
HERE.
THAT LIVES WITH YOU AS A WOMAN
IN THE WORKPLACE THROUGHOUT YOUR
CAREER.
IT CAN AT TIMES DEFINE YOU. IT CAN MEAN YOU GET SIDELINED.
IT COULD MEAN YOU LEAVE THE
INDUSTRY ALTOGETHER.
INDUSTRY ALTOGETHER. AND I WOULD SUGGEST TO PEOPLE
WHO ARE CRITICAL OF HER TO ALSO
THINK ABOUT SOMEONE WHOS BEEN
IN THE BUSINESS AND HAS THAT
POWER IN THIS BUSINESS.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT.
>> THAT PERSON ALSO HAS A MUCH
BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THOSE RAMIFICATIONS.ANDING OF THOSE
RAMIFICATIONS.
AND TO NOT TAKE THOSE INTO CONSIDERATION --THOSE INTO
CONSIDERATION -- >> SHE TALKS ABOUT HOW SHE WAS
TRAUMATIZED BY WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN IT ENDED AND HOW HE
BEHAVIORED AS THE "NATIONAL
ENQUIRER" STARTED TO FOLLOW HER
AROUND AND THIS YOUNG
20-SOMETHING-YEAR-OLD AND SHE
CALLED HIM FOR HELP AND RECEIVED
NONE.
NONE.
IM AMAZED IN THE WAKE OF ALL WEVE SEEN IN THE ME TOOF ALL
WEVE SEEN IN THE ME TOO MOVEMENT, THE FOCUS IMMEDIATELY
GOES TO HER, OKAY?
IT IMMEDIATELY GOES TO HER.
WHY ISNT THE FOCUS ON HIM?
HE HAD THE POWER.
WHAT SHE ALLEGES IS THAT HE WAS
CALLING HER INTO HIS DRESSING
ROOM AND ELSEWHERE AT NBC NEWS
AND HAVING SEX WITH HER.
ITS NOT TO SAY SHE COULD
HAVE -- SHE COULDNT HAVE MADE A
BETTER DECISION, BUT WHY DO WE
ALWAYS LOOK AT THE WOMAN AND SAY
YOU NEEDED TO BEHAVE BETTER.
WHY ARENT WE LOOKING AT HIM AND
SAYING YOU HAD POWER, YOU ABUSED
IT, YOU HAD NO BUSINESS DOING
THAT AT THE WORKPLACE OR TO A
P.A.
P.A.
>> I THINK NBC HAS DONE THAT. [ APPLAUSE ]BC HAS DONE THAT.
[ APPLAUSE ]
I THINK YOURE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. BUT I WOULD ALSO SAY I THINK NBC
HAS DONE THAT.
>> NOT NBC, IM TALKING ABOUT
THE COMMENTATORS.
THE COMMENTATORS. >> AND IN THE COMMENTS THAT
POINT HAS TO BE RAISED AND THAT
IS REALLY THE CONVERSATION I
FEEL LIKE, HAVING DONE SO MANY
STORIES ON THIS, THAT IS REALLY
THE FOCUS.
THE FOCUS. WE CAN ALL AGREE ASSAULT IS
WRONG.
WRONG.
IT IS CRIMINAL.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO ADDRESS THIS GRAY AREA.O HAVE TO ADDRESS THIS
GRAY AREA. IS THIS THE WAY THAT WE WANT OUR
WORKPLACES TO BE?
DOES THIS CREATE AN EQUAL
PLAYING ROUND FOR MEN AND WOMEN,
ESPECIALLY AS THEY START OUT.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. WHEN YOU HAVE ENORMOUS POWER AT
A WORKPLACE, YOU KNOW IT.
YOU KNOW IT.
AND YOU KNOW THE POSITION YOURE
PUTTING A YOUNG PERSON IN WHEN
YOU ASK THEM TO DO ANYTHING,
NEVER MIND COME ON TO THEM AND
WANT THEM TO MEET YOU IN THE
DRESSING ROOM AND SO ON.