On Thursday, Matt Lauer, who hosted the US Today show for 21 years, was fired after being accused of sexual harassment.
But speaking on Friday’s edition of KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O Show, shock jock Kyle Sandilands has defended the disgraced TV host.
Referencing a video that surfaced of Matt making a lewd comment to former co-anchor Meredith Vieira, Kyle claimed the pair might have just had a close working relationship.
‘You and I make crude jokes to each other!’ On Friday’s KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O Show, Kyle Sandilands (left) defended Matt Lauer’s (right) lewd comments to former co-anchor Meredith Vieira, likening it to his relationship with radio co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson
The previously un-aired footage, which was filmed in 2006, showed Meredith bending over as Matt makes the comment: ‘Keep bending over like that. It’s a nice view.’
Chatting to his co-host Jackie ‘O’ Henderson, Kyle drew parallels between their relationship and speculated that Matt and Meredith’s dynamic may have been the same.
‘He works with her like you and I work right?’ Kyle questioned.
Kyle continued: ‘She was very upset, she was in tears. Not over that, over his firing. Because when you work with people sometimes… you and I make crude jokes to each other!’
‘He works with her like you and I work right?’ Kyle questioned whether the disgraced US TV host had a friendly relationship and were comfortable exchanging crude jokes
The outspoken star stated there was nothing wrong with those comments if they were having a friendly joke but went on to clarify that it would be a problem if the comments were unwanted.
‘If I was making them just to you and you weren’t liking them, then that’s a different story right?’ Kyle said.
Agreeing with the sentiment, Jackie O added: ‘I think if they had that kind of relationship, then is there anything wrong with that? If that’s what their relationship was, back and forth?
‘That’s a different story’ Kyle went on to clarify that if he was making jokes with Jackie (right) and she wasn’t liking them, then that would be problematic
Though Kyle questioned whether that particular clip was indicative of Matt’s bad behaviour, he did point out the problematic nature of the other claims against the former morning show host.
‘That’s not what the problem was, him and her. The problem was him bringing up other staff members to his room,’ Kyle said.
Matt was fired by NBC after an employee accused Matt of sexual misconduct, with the network stating it had reason to believe it was not an isolated incident.
Since then, numerous allegations have come to light, including that Matt had a secret button under his desk which could lock his office door without him getting up.
The New York Times and Variety are both reportedly set to release stories featuring interviews with multiple women who are accusing Matt of sexual harassment.
‘That’s not what the problem was, him and her’: Kyle, who shares a close working relationship with Jackie, also pointed out that Matt and Meredith’s dynamic wasn’t the issue – it was the sexual harassment allegations made by other colleagues