Matt Lauer has been spotted still wearing his wedding ring as he finally ventured out of his Long Island compound to do the school run on Monday.
The disgraced former talk show host has been staying at his private Sag Harbor home since he was fired from the Today show last week over sexual misconduct claims.
On Monday, he was seen in his car, taking his son to school in the Hamptons.
The married 59-year-old stopped off at a property just five minutes away from his home to pick up a friend of his son’s. As he reached out to press the intercom to enter their gated home, he flashed his gold wedding band.
Lauer later dropped his son and his friend off at school.
He may still be wearing his ring, but sources say his marriage to Annette Roque has been on the rocks for years and they have even been living separately.
Matt Lauer has been spotted still wearing his wedding ring as he finally ventured out of his Long Island compound to do the school run on Monday
The married 59-year-old stopped off at a property just five minutes away from his home to pick up a friend of his son’s
He was spotted using the intercom to get into his friends gated home, where he flashed his wedding ring (pictured)
Lauer was fired last Tuesday as host of NBC’s flagship morning show after over 20 years as co-anchor.
The dismissal came as a result of sexual harassment complaints from an NBC employee.
Since news of Lauer’s firing, at least seven other women have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.
While much of the country was shocked by the news given Lauer’s squeaky clean image as a wholesome good guy, those who knew the couple say that he was a bad husband.
Lauer’s history of infidelity reportedly forced his wife to keep close tabs on him when he took trips abroad because she didn’t trust him.
When Roque sought to divorce Lauer years ago, Lauer reportedly offered her $5million in cash to remain in the marriage.
The disgraced former talk show host has been staying at his private Sag Harbor home since he was fired from the Today show last week over sexual misconduct claims but was spotted out on Monday during the school run
As he reached out to press the intercom to enter their gated home, he flashed his gold wedding band. Lauer later dropped his son and his friend off at school
The image-conscious Lauer made the cash offer because he was reportedly so concerned about how a divorce might be perceived by his audience.
Lauer and Roque met on a blind date in 1997, the same year he took over as co-anchor of Today in place of the departing Bryant Gumbel.
While Lauer rose to television stardom with his Today show gig, Roque has been featured in Victoria’s Secret catalogs as well as in advertisements for J. Crew.
According to Page Six, Lauer, who had a reputation as a philanderer, was urged to settle down and get married by NBC executives who were concerned that his playboy image would hurt the Today show given its heavily female viewership.
Lauer and Roque were married less than a year after they met, but it was a tumultuous union, according to Page Six.
Three years after the birth of their first child, Jack, in 2003, Lauer and Roque separated after the newsman returned from covering the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
Lauer was wearing dark shades while he got behind the wheel of his dark grey Jeep during the school run on Long Island
It is one of the first times he’s been spotted since he was fired from the Today show over the sexual misconduct claim
Rumors swirled that Lauer was having an affair with Natalie Moralies, who was then a correspondent for the Today show. Both have vehemently denied the rumors.
Nonetheless, Roque, who was seven months pregnant at the time, filed for divorce from Lauer, whom she accused of ‘cruel and inhumane’ treatment and ‘extremely controlling’ behavior.
‘Defendant has continuously and repeatedly given higher priority to… personal interests than his family obligations to plaintiff, causing plaintiff to feel abandoned, isolated and alone in raising the parties’ children,’ according to court papers, which were leaked in 2014.
Roque would eventually withdraw her petition for divorce three weeks before giving birth to the couple’s second child, Thijs.
There was no explanation given for why Roque had second thoughts about the divorce, though it was reported that Lauer offered her $5million to remain in the marriage.
‘Matt needed to stay in the marriage to keep his reputation as America’s nicest dad,’ according to a source quoted by Page Six.
He may still be wearing his ring, but sources say his marriage to Annette Roque has been on the rocks for years and they have even been living separately, it was reported on Saturday. The couple is seen above in Bridgehampton, New York on September 1, 2013
‘He is in fact a… very doting dad to his kids, but he is also a terrible husband.’
Things appeared to be fine – until Lauer returned from covering the Olympics in Vancouver in early 2010.
After news reports emerged suggesting that Lauer partied hard in Canada, Roque reportedly was so angry that she and her husband began living separately.
Since 2011, Roque and her three children were reportedly living in their home in Sag Harbor, while Lauer stayed in Manhattan during the week.
The Upper East Side apartment at 133 East 64th Street was also the address of Bernie Madoff, the infamous Ponzi schemer.
On weekends, Lauer would reportedly make the trip to Long Island to join them.
‘They play happy families at their Hamptons home on weekends, and then she lets him run off to New York to do “Today” – and goodness knows what else,’ RadarOnline quoted one source as saying.
Despite her celebrity status, Roque is rarely seen in public.
When she does appear, it is usually to attend the Hampton Classic horse show. Roque and her daughter are avid equestrians.
In 2012, Lauer purchased a 40-acre property near their Long Island home and converted it into a horse farm with stables for 36 animals, 16 paddocks, two outdoor riding rings, cross-country trails, and a climate-controlled indoor ring.
Lauer even owns five horses himself, but it was been widely rumored that the horses were a gift to his wife whenever she caught him cheating.
Locals who see Lauer near his Manhattan apartment say that they cannot recall ever seeing him and his wife together dining.
Lauer is known to be a frequent customer at Donahue’s Steak House, a whiskey bar across the street from his apartment.
Neighbors told Page Six they see Lauer there at least three nights a week – but he’s on his own.