Why Was Matt Lauer Fired? NBC News Cites Inappropriate Sexual Behavior With Co-Worker

Matt Lauer has been fired by NBC News, and Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie shared the news this morning.

WHY WAS MATT LAUER FIRED FROM NBC NEWS?

Lauer has been a co-anchor on the show since 1998, and spent the last five years co-hosting alongside Guthrie. He has been fired for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace,” according to NBC News exec Andrew Lack. “We just learned this moments ago,” Guthrie said on the air, near tears. “As I’m sure you can imagine, we are devastated, and we are still processing all of this. I will tell you, right now we do not know more than what I just shared with you, but we will be covering this story as reporters, as journalists.”

In Lack’s statement, which was read on air by Guthrie, the executive says the network received a “detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. It represented,” he continued, “after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.”

Lack points out that this is Lauer’s first reported offense, but says “we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident. Our highest priority,” Lack added, “is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender.”

Hosts Guthrie and Hoda Kotb shared that they were not only “heartbroken for Matt,” but also “heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story, and any other women who have their own stories to tell.”

Ex-Fox News host Megyn Kelly addressed the issue during her third hour of Today, calling it a “sign of progress” that more women are coming forward about harassment, especially by high-powered men. “When this happens what we don’t see is the pain on the faces of those who have the courage to come forward,” said Kelly, who herself accused Fox News chief Roger Ailes of sexual harassment, only to leave the network after it handled allegations poorly. “I am thinking of those women this morning, and hoping they are okay.”

Read the full text of Lack’s statement below:

Dear Colleagues,

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. While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over twenty years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.

Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender.

We are deeply saddened by this turn of events. But we will face it together as a news organization – and do it in as transparent a manner as we can. To that end, Noah and I will be meeting with as many of you as possible throughout the day today to answer your questions.

Andy