Ex-Today host Matt Lauer spent a lonely day running errands on Friday, while his wife Annette Roque – who moved out of their home after sexual harassment and assault claims emerged about him – took solace in her horse.
Both Lauer, 59, and Roque, 51, were photographed in Sag Harbor, New York, as the winter cold finally descended on the coastline.
The photos came as Lauer’s ex-colleagues at NBC told Vanity Fair about how Lauer ‘micro-managed’ his ‘double life’ so meticulously that producers are still concerned about the existence of more skeletons in his closet.
Matt Lauer was seen on Friday walking around the New York village of Sag Harbor, picking up groceries. He was not wearing his wedding band. His wife left him after several women accused him of sexual harassment
Lauer was spotted eating lunch alone at Estia’s Little Kitchen, a restaurant in the village. He then went to a stable to care for horses that he owns
Lauer’s wife, Annette Roque, is seen here the same day at a stable. She and Lauer have not had an easy marriage; when the first claims came out, insiders said she went with him to the 2012 Olympics in London because she didn’t trust him to go alone
Roque is seen here with her horse. Lauer has been accused of using the Olympics to hit on colleagues. NBC insiders say that he ‘micro-managed’ his ‘double life’ to the extent that it’s plausible NBC execs didn’t know about the claims
Lauer was seen without his wedding ring as he hauled a stuffed paper carrier bag around, before grabbing lunch – alone – at local eatery Estia’s Little Kitchen.
The disgraced former host wore a grey sweater and white shirt to protect him from the falling temperatures, and a pair of sunglasses, possibly to protect him from being recognized, along with an impressively large and shiny watch.
He then went to a stable to care for his horses.
Also spending time with horses on Friday was Roque, who was snapped walking her stunning black horse around the stable area.
The stunning former model wore black pants and leather boots, and alternated blue puffy jackets to keep herself protected from the winter chill.
While Lauer is settling into his downtime, bosses at his former home, NBC, are still tense over the possibility that more accusations may emerge about him.
The company has held aroudn 60 HR meetings with staff in order ‘to get ahead of any other possible scandals that could be lurking beneath the surface,’ insiders told Vanity Fair.
One of the questions asked in those meetings is who else knew of Lauer’s alleged misbehavior, which reportedly includes sexually harassing female staff at NBC.
Some there have questioned whether the heads at the network knew of the claims, but some believe that he was so good at hiding his acts that it’s entirely plausible that nobody else knew.
‘If people stop and think about it,’ an unidentified senior journalist said, ‘it’s not surprising a lot of people didn’t know, because it was all done in secret.
‘Matt’s a very organized guy and very adept at leading that kind of double life.’
A source who worked with Lauer told People Magazine on Thursday that the couple’s marriage had been strained for years – and that Roque filed for divorce in 2006.
She claimed that claiming that Lauer performed ‘cruel and inhumane’ acts against her and demonstrated ‘extreme anger and hostility’ that endangered her mental and physical wellbeing, according to court documents.
The pair reconciled but the relationship never regained its original luster, with the source saying the two ‘lived totally separate lives.’
Lauer was ‘essentially living as a single guy’ in Manhattan, said the source, while Roque stayed in the Hamptons along with their three children.
Lauer is seen here with Roque in 2015 (left) and August of this year (right). Sources said that the couple’s relationship was never comfortable and that she knew he was a ‘philanderer’ when they started dating