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.
Enter Charlie Sheen
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.
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.
Inappropriate Behavior
Before we go on, let's give a little bit of history on something that is about to be important in Lauer's story. In October of 2017, legendary movie producer Harvey Weinstein came under fire from wide-spread and extremely graphic sexual-abuse allegations, and a movement began.
It was Alyssa Milano who first gave it its name, encouraged women around the globe to come forward via social media. This wasn't the first time “Me Too” was used in such a manner, beginning all the way back in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke.
Gaining Momentum
The movement picked up speed. A number of incredibly high-profile women joined the movement, explaining they, too, had been sexually harassed by men in power. The list of women includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, Jennifer Lawrence, and Uma Thurman, and they were just the first to speak up.
Widespread media coverage began to heat Hollywood – where almost all of these powerful men resided – up. Millions of people began to parrot the hashtag (#MeToo), unwilling to let such abuses fade away. Numerous high-profile firings began, the backlash against these men and their companies rose, and there have even been criminal charges.