The reckoning over
in the workplace continues: This morning NBC News fired longtime Today Show news anchor Matt Lauer over allegations of "inappropriate sexual behavior." Lauer joined the program in 1994, and has served as co-host since 1997.
In a memo sent to staff by NBC News chairman Andrew Lack, he said they "received a detailed complaint from a colleague" that represented a "clear violation of our company's standards." He said "it is the first complaint about [Lauer's] behavior in the over twenty years he's been at NBC News." However, they were "presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/935842862591283201]]
In an emotional moment, Today Show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie read the memo on air, adding that she was "heartbroken." Having worked with Lauer since 2012, she considered him a "dear, dear friend." Then she posed a question reminiscent of Sarah Silverman's
on Louis CK: "How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly?"
The news about Matt Lauer struck many by surprise, but some people say the warning signs were always there. And there's no better example than a 2012 interview with
, where he acts pretty creepy.
Hathaway visited The Today Show to discuss her new movie, Les Miserables. But when she sat down with Lauer, he wanted to discuss something different: an upskirt photo. The other night, the paparazzi snapped a picture of Hathaway getting out of a limo while not wearing any underwear. Thankfully, the paparazzo was a decent human being who deleted the photo. Nah, just kidding. He sold it, and it was all over the Internet.
When the interview begins, Lauer immediately brings up the upskirt photo. (strike one!). Then he makes a pervy joke, quipping, "Nice to see you. Seen a lot of you lately." (Strike two!) Then he asks Hathaway what "lesson" she learned, as if the incident was all her fault. Luckily, the actress takes it in stride, and answers with class. Here's the full interaction:
[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yruIL5lVGE4
&
feature=youtu.be
&
t=1m9s]]
Matt Lauer: “Anne Hathaway, good morning, nice to see you. Seen a lot of you lately."
Anne Hathaway: “Sorry about that. I’d be happy to stay home, but the film.”
Matt Lauer: “Let’s just get it out of the way. You had a little wardrobe malfunction the other night. What’s the lesson learned from something like that, other than that you keep smiling, which you’ll always do."
Anne Hathaway: "Well, it was obviously an unfortunate incident ... It kind of made me sad on two accounts. One was that I was very sad that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment, and rather than delete it and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants, which brings us back to Les Mis...let’s get back to Les Mis."
Perfect response! After handling her diabolical boss in The Devil Wears Prada, she can handle anything.
Although the interview came out five years ago, it's recently gone viral, with people looking at Lauer's behavior in
.
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/RosaleenOMahony/status/935856627097440258]]
[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/carolinelandree/status/935850752601403392]]
But maybe this suggests a good career change for Lauer. Instead of being a morning news anchor, he could become a paparazzo, and try to get some sweet upskirt photos.
