Moments after being fired from his position at NBC and accused of sexual misconduct with a colleague Matt Lauer got in his car and drove to his 16-year-old son’s prep school to tell him in person what happened.
Lauer is close to his oldest son, Jack, and sources close to the 59-year-old told Page Six he wanted to ‘explain what happened and why he was fired in person.’
On Wednesday morning the Today Show Host was fired from his $25-million-a-year position at NBC after a 24-hour investigation by NBC into claims made by one woman.
The woman, who hasn’t been named, told NBC bosses on Monday that Lauer had sexually harassed her at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Moments after being fired from his position at NBC and accused of sexual misconduct with a colleague Matt Lauer got in his car and drove to his 16-year-old son Jack’s prep school to tell him in person what happened. They are pictured together left in 2013 and right in January 2017
The disgraced television personality has two other children, 14-year-old Romy and 11-year-old Thijs. Pictured left to right are Jack, Romy, Thijs and Matt at a Knicks game at MSG in 2016
‘Matt’s first thought was that he needed to explain this to his son Jack in person, as it would be far more painful for him to read about it in the press and online, ‘the source told Page Six.
‘Matt drove out to Jack’s prep school this morning.’
Lauer has spoken about his relationship with his son on the Today Show, and revealed he’s had his fair share of awkward conversations with him before.
Earlier this year he detailed a time he attempted to have a sex talk with his son, who was 15 at the time. Lauer said it didn’t work out, and that Jack immediately shut him down.
‘I said, “Jack, you know, I do have to…” and he looked at me and said, “Not happening. I’m not gonna have this talk. I know, I know everything, you don’t have to do that,’ Lauer said on the morning show.
The disgraced television personality has two other children, 14-year-old Romy and 11-year-old Thijs with his wife Annette Roque. They live in the Hamptons.
Annette, who used to work as a model, has so far stayed silent about the allegations made against her husband. They are pictured together August 12
The source said Lauer plans to spend his time with his two other children after speaking to Jack.
Annette, who used to work as a model, has so far stayed silent about the allegations made against her husband.
In 2006 the 50-year-old filed for divorce against him before withdrawing the filing just a month later. In the documents she claimed his treatment of her was ‘cruel and inhumane’ and that he was controlling and full of ‘extreme anger and hostility.’
On Wednesday morning NBC Chairman Andy Lack sent an email to the entire staff to inform them that Lauer had been fired.
NBC chairman Andy Lack told staff that Lauer had been fired in a memo Wednesday.
‘On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer,’ he wrote.
‘It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.’
Lauer’s former co-worker who has accused him spoke to Variety and the New York Times before coming to NBC.
On Wednesday morning the Today Show Host was fired from his $25-million-a-year position at NBC after a 24-hour investigation by NBC into claims made by one woman. He is pictured November 16 on the show
So far 10 women have accused Lauer (seen with Roker, Kotb and, second from right Savannah Guthrie last year) of sexual harassment or impropriety
Tough morning: The news of Lauer’s firing was announced at the top of the program by Savannah Guthrie, who could be seen clutching Hoda Kotb’s hand for support (above)
Variety published its article Wednesday afternoon, and in it the woman claimed Lauer sexually harassed her. The article also goes into detail about nine other unidentified women who made their own claims against him.
One claimed that Lauer had given her a sex toy for Christmas, along with an ‘explicit’ note saying how he would like to use it on her.
Another said that Lauer had flashed her while she was in his office, then ‘reprimanded’ her after the refused to engage in sex acts.
That same office was equipped with a button that allowed Lauer to lock the door using a button on his desk, two women told the site.
‘This afforded him the assurance of privacy,’ wrote Variety reporter Ramin Setoodeh.
‘It allowed him to welcome female employees and initiate inappropriate contact while knowing nobody could walk in on him.’
One producer told the magazine that ‘There were a lot of consensual relationships, but that’s still a problem because of the power he held.
‘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.’
He often used the Olympics as an opportunity to sleep with women, the sources said – so much so that his wife accompanied him to the 2012 London Olympics because she didn’t trust him.