Report: Matt Lauer's Firing Triggered By Colleague's Claim Lauer Sexually Assaulted Her During 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Coverage
Posted on Wed Nov 29th, 2017 10:40am PDT By X17 Staff
We're still in shock.
Matt Lauer's firing came after a female NBC colleague went to the network heads and told them the TV host sexually assaulted her back in 2014 during their coverage of the Sochi Olympics, Page Six reports.
"This happened so quickly. She didn’t go to the media, she made a complaint to NBC’s human resources, and her evidence was so compelling that Matt was fired on Tuesday night. The victim says she has evidence that this has also happened to other women, but so far we don’t have evidence of that," a source dished to the site.
Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb fought back tears as they made the announcement on Today this morning, but Megyn Kelly didn't seem quite so broken up about it on her own show.
"This one does hit close to home. I, too, have known Matt for a long time. He has been a friend, and kind and supportive to me and my transition to NBC News. I see the anguish on my colleagues’ faces. But when this happens, what we don’t see is the pain on the faces of those who’ve found the courage to come forward. And that is a terrifying thing to do. We don’t see the career opportunities women lose because of sexual harassment or the intense stress it causes a woman dealing with it when she comes to work each day. I am thinking of those women this morning and hoping they are okay. The days to come will not be easy," she told the audience.
"We are in the middle of a seed change in this country, an empowerment revolution in which women who for years have felt they had no choice but to simply deal with being harassed at work are now starting to picture another reality, to feel that change is within their grasp. As painful as this moment is for so many here at NBC today, at CBS earlier this month, at Fox News over the last year, in Hollywood this fall, it is a sign of progress, of women finding their voices, their courage, and of the erosion of a shameful power imbalance that has been in place for far too long," she added.
Lauer has yet to respond to the allegations.