Samantha Guthrie appeared to hold back tears as she announced on NBC’s Today Show that her co-host Matt Lauer was fired by the network for inappropriate sexual behavior. Accompanied by Hoda Kotb, she read parts of a memo sent to staff this morning by NBC News president Andrew Lack.
“On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer…it represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.”
The memo continues: “While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
Guthrie told viewers she was “heartbroken” for both Lauer and anyone who had experienced inappropriate behavior from him, calling his firing part of a “national reckoning.”
“We are grappling with a dilemma that so many people have faced these past few weeks: How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly?”
Reactions to Lauer’s firing outside of NBC ranged from shock and disbelief to a sense of justice because the network reacted so swiftly. President Trump himself weighed in on Lauer’s firing this morning on Twitter, writing:
Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017
The tweet stirred outrage after thousands of users pointed out that he himself has been accused of inappropriate behavior and harassment by at least 16 women. Take a look at Guthrie’s announcement in the video above.
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