Summary: NBC News said that no high-level executives were aware of Matt Lauer’s impropriety until last November.
Last year, “Today” show host Matt Lauer was fired after a bombshell media report revealed that he had sexually harassed multiple women throughout his career. NBC swiftly terminated the star who had a multi-million dollar contract, and this week, the network released their investigation results that concluded no high-level executives knew about his behavior before November.
NBC released their findings on Wednesday, according to the Washington Post. The network interviewed 70 current and former employees, and the probe found there was “no evidence” that any senior executives were aware of Lauer’s impropriety until November.
One month before in October 2017, the New York Times published an expose about Weinstein Company founder, Harvey Weinstein, that revealed he had sexually harassed several women throughout his long-running career. That article led to more women coming forward, and then it sparked a movement called #MeToo where victims from all industries began to speak out about the misconduct of men in power.
One of those men accused was Lauer, who had been the host of “Today” show on NBC for years. In November, an employee filed a formal complaint to NBC News about his “inappropriate sexual behavior” and three other women also came forward with similar allegations.
The accusers’ accounts were published in Variety, and the women claimed that they had told management but were ignored. The Washington Post published its own article in April about Ann Curry, who famously was mistreated by Lauer before she was awkwardly fired from “Today.” In that article, Curry said she had told NBC leaders in 2012 about Lauer’s misconduct after a staffer confided in her that she was “sexually harassed physically.” Curry declined to comment on NBC’s recent release.
In Wednesday’s report, NBC confirmed that four women had complained about Lauer but the network said their complaints were not given to leadership until November.
In response to the report, NBC News chairman Andrew Lack said he wanted to enact change and offered a seven-point plan to offer a safer and more respectful environment for the future.
“We cannot change the past. What we can do is learn from it, and try to make it right,” Lack said.
The NBC investigation was helmed by Kim Wells, the general counsel of NBCUniversal. NBC said that two outside law firms were also involved with the probe.
“We found no evidence indicating that any NBC News or Today Show leadership, HR or others in positions of authority in the News Division received any complaints about Lauer’s workplace behavior prior to Nov. 27, 2017,” the report concluded. “All four women who came forward confirmed that they did not tell their direct manager or anyone else in a position of authority about their sexual encounters with Lauer. Current and former members of NBC News and Today Show leadership, as well as News HR, stated that they had never received a complaint about inappropriate workplace behavior by Lauer, and we did not find any contrary evidence.”
- Matt Lauer Responds to Sexual Assault Allegations
- Matt Lauer Fired by NBC for Sexual Misconduct
- Ann Curry Being Paid $10 Million to Leave “Today” Show
- Ann Curry Says Goodbye on “Today”