Longtime US Today show host Matt Lauer fired over sexual harassment claims

MATT Lauer, the host of US breakfast TV show Today, has been fired after at least three women accused him of sexual harassment.

Journalist Matt Lauer attends the 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards. Picture Getty

AMERICAN breakfast TV veteran Matt Lauer has been fired after explosive allegations of sexual harassment.

Claims against the former US Today host include that he gave a colleague a sex toy, along with an “explicit” letter saying he “wanted to use it on her”, Variety reports.

Variety also revealed Lauer — whose salary was US $25 million annually — exposed himself to a female colleague in his secluded office, where he had a button under his desk that could lock the door without him getting up.

He is also alleged to have asked co-workers who they had sex with, and playing the game “f***, marry or kill”.

Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News. On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment. pic.twitter.com/1A3UAZpvPb

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 29, 2017

The Hollywood industry site said there were at least three victims on the record who claimed Lauer sexually harassed them, including a woman who gave a detailed complaint to NBC about Lauer’s conduct on a trip to the 2014 Sochi Olympics. This led to Lauer’s sacking today.

In a statement, NBC News president Andew Lack said: “On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace by Matt Lauer.”

“It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.

“While it is the first complaint about his behaviour 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.”

Meantime, footage obtained by TMZ Lauer making a crass comment about former co-host Katie Couric. “Keep bending over like that. It’s a nice view,” Lauder said in the tape.

Couric was not one of the three women who complained to NBC management.

Variety also reported that Lauer had affairs with employees.

“There were a lot of consensual relationships, but that’s still a problem because of the power he held,” a source told Variety.

“He couldn’t sleep around town with celebrities or on the road with random people, because he’s Matt Lauer and he’s married. So he’d have to do it within his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn’t ever complain.”

Today host Savannah Guthrie embraces colleague Hoda Kotb after news of Matt Lauer’s axing became public. Picture: AP Photo/Craig Ruttle

Lauer’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie announced the news on the show, speaking through tears as she told the audience “This is a sad morning here at Today ... all we can say is we are heartbroken; I’m heartbroken.”

“We just learned this moments ago” she said, adding the Today team were “devastated and ... still processing all of this.”

Matt Lauer interviewing Donald and Melania Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Picture: Twitter/Donald J. Trump Jr

She called Lauer “a dear, dear friend,” and that she was “heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story”.

Guthrie admitted feeling torn over the revelations.

“How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly?”

Sources initially told the New York Post that Lauer had been accused of sexual assault during the Sochi Olympics, but later said it was inappropriate sexual behaviour.

Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017

According to the New York Post the woman’s lawyer Ari Wilkenfeld met with NBC officials on Monday evening, local time, before Mr Lack made the decision to fire Lauer.

“My client and I met with representatives from NBC’s Human Resources and Legal Department at 6pm on Monday. Over the course of several hours, my client detailed egregious acts of sexual harassment and misconduct by Mr Lauer,” Wilkenfeld said in a statement to the New York Post.

“In fewer than 35 hours, NBC investigated and removed Mr. Lauer.

“Our impression at this point is that NBC acted quickly and responsibly, as all companies should when confronted with credible allegations about sexual misconduct in the workplace.”

“While I am impressed by NBC’s response to date, I am awed by the courage my client showed to be the first to raise a complaint and to do so without making any demands other than asking the company do the right thing.

“This is how the system should work.”

Lauer’s Today co-host Savannah Guthrie said she was “devastated” by the claims. Picture: Getty Images

After the news broke Variety magazine reporter Elizabeth Wagmesiter revealed she and another journalist know of “multiple women” who say they’ve been sexually harassed by Lauer.

“Ramin Setoodeh and I had been working on a Matt Lauer story for months and NBC was aware,” she tweeted.

“There are multiple women we’ve spoken to with far-ranging accusations against Lauer. The power of journalism has never been more evident with this cultural change.”

At @Variety, @RaminSetoodeh & I had been working on a Matt Lauer story for months and NBC was aware. There are multiple women we've spoken to with far-ranging accusations against Lauer. The power of journalism has never been more evident with this cultural change.

— Elizabeth Wagmeister (@EWagmeister) November 29, 2017

In a statement Mr Lack said: “Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender.”

“We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organisation — and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.”

The US television staple was fired for “inappropriate sexual behaviour”. Picture: AP

President Donald Trump tweeted about the scandal minutes after the news broke.

“Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace,” Mr Trump wrote.

“But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!”

Mr Trump also asked when the network “would be terminating the contract” of MSNBC executive Phil Griffin, before making a vague remark about another US TV morning host, Joe Scarborough.

So now tha Matt Lauer is gone when will the Fake News practitioners at NBC be terminating the contract of Phil Griffin? And will they terminate low ratings Joe Scarborough based on the “unsolved mystery” that took place in Florida years ago? Investigate!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017

Lauer has been a fixture on Today more than 20 years, first joining as a news reader in 1994 before becoming co-host in 1998.

The news comes after a stream of high-profile men in the entertainment and media industries, in Australia and abroad, have faced sexual harassment allegations.

— With the New York Post.