Despite this controversy, Lauer continued his job at NBC and on the Today show. He continued to interview some of the biggest names around the world, including one man whose fall from grace came in 2011. The man with tiger blood in his veins: Charlie Sheen. This interview would lead to yet another headline for Lauer.
We saw plenty of Sheen on our screens, but this interview came with a bomb no one was expecting. In this one-of-a-kind interview, Sheen announced that he was HIV-positive, a diagnosis that might explain some of his erratic behavior, and which led to his declining health.
Operation Bambi
This wasn't the only time Lauer found himself under the microscope. Just a year earlier in 2011, Today show co-anchor Ann Curry announced she would be leaving her role, a decision that came as a shock to a great many people. Why would such a talented and respected woman leave one of the top spots in the industry?
One where millions of people saw her smile and hung on her every word every day? Over the next few years, however, a name would come to light, one that signaled the beginning of the real problems for Lauer: Operation Bambi.
The Clique
Since Curry left, allegations have arisen that have pointed the finger at the top brass of NBC, Lauer included. So the allegations go, these powerful men banded together to create Operation Bambi in an effort to get Curry to quit. Supposedly they bullied her while the cameras were off, humiliated her while they were on, and at one point even put all of her belongings into a box.
The rumor says that Lauer was part of this clique and that he personally played a huge part in her eventual resignation, though further details have yet to be uncovered – and if NBC has their way, will never be uncovered.
Matt and Caitlyn
The same year he talked with Sheen, he also sat down with former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner), and the two spoke about Caitlyn's transition after appearing on the cover of Vanity Fair earlier in the year. The interview contained a number of probing questions about lives new and old.
It was a bit of surprise that, wrapped up in all the fluffy softballs Lauer pitched, there was also a fastball in the form of a question about a car crash Caitlyn was involved in, which ended the life of a 69-year-old woman.
The Unstoppable Matt
The controversy was successfully pushed under the rug, and NBC once again chose to renew Lauer as their top man. In November of NBC it was again reported Lauer had a new contract to sign, one that would put him center stage until at least 2018, and all for another incredible sum of money: twenty million a year, if the rumors are to be believed.
Unfortunately for Lauer, it wasn't too long before his glitzy life took a dark turn, and it all came crashing down on him.