Matt Lauer fired from the Today Show for inappropriate sexual behavior in the
workplace a visibly upset Savannah Guthrie right there he could hear it in
her voice alongside with Hoda Kotb this morning announced the stunning news that
after that NBC's News received a detailed complaint from a colleague
Monday night she read a statement from NBC News that chairman Andy lack said in
part 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 a reason to believe this
may not have been an isolated incident you know I I saw the news and woke up to
the news like everyone this morning just in shock
The Today Show of course has been my family for 16 years now and it is
difficult I think everybody's saying how difficult it is to process the news I
have personally dealt with rumors in the past four years that would hurtful to me
to my family they diminish my hard work I've addressed those rumors head-on in
the past that is not the story today KITT it is about the courage the story
today is the courage of a colleague who did come forward and when and if she
wants to tell her story publicly I'm sure she will but it did take a lot of
courage for her to come forward it was no doubt a very painful decision we
should also mention that Matt has not publicly responded to any of us know
like Savannah and Hoda said that we will continue to cover this story as
journalists we are though in a climate and a culture where women they're
finally not afraid as they once were about being able to speak up and being
able to come forward and to report what is inappropriate behavior we of course
will continue to follow all the story over here and it is reported you could
feel the emotion on the Today Show set this morning Savannah's voice was
shaking as she open the show talking about Matt here's a little more of the
opening we just learned this moments ago just this morning as I'm sure you can
imagine we are devastated and we are still processing all of this and I will
tell you right now we do not know more than what I just shared with you but we
will be covering this story as reporters as journalists I'm sure we will be
learning more details in the hours and days to come
and we promise we will share that with you and Jota I mean you know for the
moment all we can say is that we are heartbroken I'm heartbroken from Matt he
is my dear dear friend and my partner and he is beloved by many many people
here and I'm heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her
story and any other women who have their own stories to tell and we are grappling
with a dilemma that so many people have faced these past few weeks how do you
reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly
and I don't know the answer to that but I do know that this reckoning that so
many organizations have been going through is important it's long overdue
and it must result in workplaces where all women all people feel safe and
respected as painful as it is this moment in our culture and this change
had to happen yeah it did this is a very tough morning for both of us I've known
Matt for 15 years and I've loved him as a friend and as a colleague and again
just like you were saying Savannah it's hard to reconcile what we are hearing
with the man who we know who walks in this building every single day we were
both woken up with the news kind of pre-dawn and we're trying to process it
and trying to make sense of it and it'll take some time for that yeah we're
processing it with all of you at home mm-hmm and we promise to be transparent
and be straight full world and continue this important conversation absolutely I
was a very hard thing for them to do and I'm sending them all hugs because that
is a family that is right now very heartbroken so everybody I'm with you
and I and I feel their pain it was palpable I mean you could feel it this
morning Al Roker whose work with Matt longer than anyone they had quite the
friendship created many fun classic moments but here's how al reacted to it
this morning it would turn now to our morning still dealing with the news of a
friend of thirty years and we're all trying to
process it deal with it and along with you folks as well and then it was to the
weather yeah well I guess we all have to continue doing our job yeah that's what
we do but here's how a Sunday today anchor and Morning Joe co-anchor willie
Geist who has replaced Matt who's been filling in for Matt many times over the
past couple years reacted to the news I'm stunned like Savannah I didn't know
anything about this until a couple of minutes ago I don't know what the
allegations are specifically but my heart and is with the person who made
those allegations for stepping forward my heart is with my friends over there
Savannah one of my dearest friends I think you saw her class and her grace
and her professionalism come through right there along with Hoda and it's
with the staff of The Today Show that's worked with Matt for almost 25 years
and considered him a friend and he is the leader over there you know he's the
he's in charge so I'm thinking about all my friends across the street and my
thoughts of course are with Matt he's been a friend he's been he's been a
mentor he's been a guy you could watch a guy who led by his example on the set
the way he treated the crew the way he knew everybody's name the the class and
dignity he carried himself with obviously I didn't know about these
other things that will now be examining and reporting on ourselves but all I can
say from a professional point of view is that he is one of the guys I have always
looked up to in this business and he taught me an awful lot interesting to
see Willie speak there cuz I know for as a viewer watching every time Willie
filled in I really liked him sitting in that seat I loved his rapport with
Savannah so who will fill that seat could it be all women could you have a
three women sitting up there we will have to wait and see on that I think
it's it's jumping ahead of everything right now I think right now the stories
are still coming out and we'll be reporting on those and we'll have more
details in the days to come no doubt
you