‘Today’ show co-host Matt Lauer was officially fired from NBC News Wednesday after a woman accused the iconic anchorman of “inappropriate sexual behavior,” making Lauer the most recent high-profile celebrity to be ousted over sexual harassment allegations.
Co-host Savannah Guthrie announced the network’s decision on the ‘Today’ show Wednesday morning, saying “This is a sad morning here at ‘Today’ and at NBC News.”
“As I’m sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing all of this,” she added.
Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News. On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment. pic.twitter.com/1A3UAZpvPb
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) November 29, 2017
The network released a statement just moments before the ‘Today’ show was set to air, saying this was the first accusation against Lauer in his twenty-year career at NBC News; adding after “serious review” the reporter committed a “clear violation of our company standards.”
“Dear colleagues, on Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer,” read the statement. “It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.”