NBC fires Matt Lauer after a sexual misconduct complaint

Deadline

An emotional Savannah Guthrie, along with Hoda Kotb, announced at the top of Wednesday’s Today show that Lauer had been fired from NBC following a complaint of “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” Guthrie said she was "heartbroken" for herself and “heartbroken for Matt; he is my dear, dear friend and partner." before reading a statement from NBC News chairman Andy Lack. "As you can imagine we are devastated,” she said. In his statement, Lack said: "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."

ALSO:

• Page Six reports Lauer was accused of sexually assaulting a female NBC staffer during the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014
• President Trump reacts to Lauer's firing, asks: "when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!"
• ABC's Good Morning America reacted to the news with George Stephanopoulos saying, “This is not over yet, we have a long long way to go"
• One year ago today: Lauer's contract was extended through 2018, at $20 million a year
• Reporters for Variety and The New York Times have been investigating Lauer for weeks -- Variety's Ramin Setoodeh tweeted, "There were multiple victims"
• Lauer was notified of his firing before going to bed last night
• Listen to Howard Stern, a close friend of Lauer's, react to the news -- Lauer appeared in the opening of Stern's Fox talk show pilot in 1987
• Brian Williams has outlasted Lauer at NBC News 2 1/2 years after Lauer grilled him on his lying
• In 2013, Katie Couric said on Watch What Happens Live Lauer would pinch her on the ass "a lot"
• Watch CBS This Morning cover the Matt Lauer story: “I have a sickening feeling of déjà vu,” said Gayle King
• Joe Scarborough fires back after President Trump uses Lauer’s firing to call for an investigation into the 2001 death of the former congressman’s staffer
• On Twitter, Lauer’s firing is being called karma for his ouster of Ann Curry
• Ann Curry had complained that she was undermined by the Today’s boys’ club atmosphere
• Lauer’s wife accused him of "cruel and inhumane" acts in 2006 when she filed for divorce, which was later withdrawn
• Al Roker looked devastated as he delivered his weather forecast
• Who should replace Lauer? Anderson Cooper? Willie Geist? Megyn Kelly?
• Megyn Kelly brought up Fox News' sexual harassment scandal, and said: "This one hits close to home"
• Kathie Lee Gifford calls for “forgiveness and mercy” for Lauer, and recalled her late husband Frank Gifford’s affair