The Today show’s Savannah Guthrie appeared shocked this morning when she had to report on the firing of her co-host, Matt Lauer, for sexual misconduct.
But one of Lauer’s former co-anchors was likely not surprised.
In a 2012 interview, Katie Couric, Lauer’s first co-host on the NBC morning show, revealed that she had been sexually harassed by him.
Katie Couric revealed in a 2012 interview that Matt Lauer pinched her ‘on the a** a lot’ when they co-anchored the Today show
The revelation was made during a game of Plead the Fifth on an episode of Andy Cohen’s (pictured) Watch What Happens Live
It happened during an appearance on the Bravo interview show Watch What Happens Live. Host Andy Cohen often subjects his visitors to a game of ‘Plead the Fifth,’ which involves answering three questions. Players are allowed to ‘Plead the Fifth’ in order to get out of answering one of the questions, but must answer at least two.
For her third and final question, Cohen asked Couric what Lauer’s worst habit was during their nearly a decade working together.
Since she answered the first two questions, Couric could have skipped this question, but she decided to answer it anyway.
After taking a beat to think, she turned to Cohen and said: ‘He pinches me on the a** a lot.’
Couric and Lauer co-hosted the Today Show from 1997 to 2006, when Couric left to anchor the CBS Evening News. The two are pictured above at the celebration of Lauer’s 20th year at Today last January
Couric was Lauer’s first co-host on the program. He became a co-host in January 1997 and had held that position until today
‘Wow, I wouldn’t have a problem with that,’ Cohen said, as he brought the show to an end.
As he congratulated Couric on not pleading the fifth once during the game, she broke out into a smile.
The interview was recorded six years after Couric left the Today show, when she was working as a special correspondent for ABC News.
Couric and Lauer co-hosted the Today show together from January 1997 until May 2006, when Couric left the network to anchor the CBS Evening News.
In their announcement on Wednesday, NBC News said that they had fired Lauer over a single claim of sexual misconduct from a female staffer.
They said that it was the only claim made against Lauer in his years working at the company, but Couric’s 2012 interview muddles that statement since it’s a clear act of sexual harassment.