Even as Matt Lauer’s career has gone off the rails into disgrace, the lying is still something to behold. NBC News reported that when executives asked Lauer directly if there ever was any sexual misconduct, Lauer denied it, saying he was “racking his brain and couldn’t think of anything at all,” one executive said.
Chronicling the distance of Lauer’s fall, the New York Post gossip column Page Six reports Lauer’s office has gone from renovation to devastation: "Matt's office is being completely demolished," a network insider said. "Everything is going, including that button under his desk, his name plate, the photos of him in the hallways, the pictures of him online and on NBC News social media. They are so sickened by his behavior it is almost like they want to pretend he never existed." Make your Stalin airbrushing jokes here.
If you wanted to see how Lauer still retains the loyalty of some people still willing to declare him Awesome, see People magazine:
“We are all heartbroken and sickened,” a Today show source tells PEOPLE.
The source called Lauer, 59, “the most extraordinary person I’ve ever known,” adding, “What people are alleging is totally out to character.”
“People truly don’t know exactly what this was. I can’t even describe how beloved he is at the show,” the Today source says. “He is so kind and respectful. In 20 years, I’ve never hear him raise his voice ever. He never gets angry. He is always a voice of reason and so kind to everyone and funny. When you see him coming down the hallway, everyone lights up because they’re so happy to see him, because you know he’ll have something fun to say or a funny joke. He always does the right thing. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but I always tried to hold myself up to the standards of the type of person he was. He treated me like a daughter. I was there at all levels, and he has treated me with the same respect and generosity every day and every moment. In 20 years, I’ve never seen a single instance of him being anything less than a respectful wonderful colleague.”
But a "network producer" told People that it was "known throughout the industry" that Lauer and wife lived separate lives:
“She lived in the Hamptons and he lived in the city. You never saw her. I never heard anything about her,” the producer says, adding, “I think he was used to having a lot of affairs and and getting what he wanted. He was supposed to project this family image, but this was not what was going on. He was essentially a single guy.”
