Matt Lauer accused of exposing himself, gifting sex toys to co-workers
Matt Lauer gave a “Today” show co-worker a sex toy, along with a note explaining how he’d like to use it on her; called another female employee to his office and then dropped his trousers to expose himself to her — and even had a button under his desk that allowed him to lock his office door without getting up so he couldn’t be walked in on mid-tryst, according to a blockbuster report published Wednesday.
Three women, who asked to remain unnamed, told Variety that Lauer had sexually harassed them.
The married Lauer, whose firing from “Today” and NBC was announced Wednesday morning, regularly engaged in inappropriate behavior with female co-workers and even guests on the show, according to Variety, which interviewed dozens of current and former staffers.
After he allegedly dropped his pants to expose his penis to the stunned co-worker, Variety said, Lauer reprimanded the woman for rejecting his sexual advances.
He also allegedly asked female producers to identify the people they’d had sex with — and named co-hosts he’d like to sleep with during a game called “f–k, marry or kill.”
Several women complained about his behavior, but no action was taken against Lauer, who was all-powerful at “Today,” according to Variety.
Staffers said Lauer was obsessed with women’s appearances, and sometimes made suggestive comments aloud or in text messages.
“There were a lot of consensual relationships, but that’s still a problem because of the power he held,” a former producer told Variety. “He couldn’t sleep around town with celebrities or on the road with random people, because he’s Matt Lauer and he’s married. So he’d have to do it within his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn’t ever complain.”
Two women told Variety the button under his desk allowed him to make inappropriate advances in his office without worrying about who might walk in.
While traveling for work, Lauer would sometimes invite NBC staffers over to his hotel room late at night, multiple people said.
Lauer was fired Wednesday after a colleague came forward to NBC officials Monday and accused the anchor of sexual harassment and misconduct.