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| Matt Lauer fired out the cannon at NBC News after accusers come forth with allegations. |
NBC News Today had fired longtime anchor Matt Lauer out the cannon. Another shocking moment in the junk food media.
Donald J. Trump was notified this morning. Trump had a friendly relationship with the former NBC host.
The looks of Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb's faces were shock.
A friend and devoted colleague is gone. Only less than week, CBS News and PBS fired Charlie Rose out the cannon.
Matt Lauer was an anchor on Today for over 20 years. The allegatioms of sexual assault happened in 2016 during the Rio Olympics.
There are more accusers. Trust me, he has allegations since 2002.
In a memo to staff sent on Wednesday, Andy Lack said a complaint was made by a female staffer prompted swift and fast cannon fire. Lauer was told on Tuesday that his identification badge is deactivated and name is scrubbed.
Lack said it was the first complaint lodged against Lauer, 59, for his behavior since he took over as anchor of the show in 1997, but there was "reason to believe" it 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," Lack said.
Lack said it was a "clear violation of the company's standards."
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| Savannah Guthrie had to break the news about her former co host Matt Lauer. |
Guthrie, who joined Lauer at the anchor desk in 2012, said she was "heartbroken" for both him and the "brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their stories to tell."
"I'm sure we will be learning more details in the hours and days to come. And we promise we will share that with you," she said.
Kotb added that she has known Lauer as a friend and colleague for 15 years and "it's hard to reconcile what we are hearing with the man who we know, who walks in this building every single day."
Guthrie said it can be difficult to make sense of accusations of inappropriate sexual behavior against a longtime colleague.
"How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly and I don't know the answer to that," she said. "But I do know that this reckoning, that so many organizations have been going through, is important, it's long overdue and it must result in workplaces where all women — all people — feel safe and respected."
Lauer's departure comes in the wake of sexual misconduct complaints lodged in recent months against high-profile men, including in entertainment, politics and media.
Allegations were there. It finally hit the fan.
Rumors existed. Trust me, the New York Post had alleged Lauer was being exploited by a transgender prostitute.
Sexaul abuse has spread beyond Hollywood, Broadway, Silicon Valley, Washington, DC, the newsroom, the church, the school, the boardroom and social media.
Prominent men are falling like dominos. Careers are on the line.
This isn't a Democrat or Republican thing.
Sexual abuse is the second most dangerous threat in the United States.
