As the rumors swirled around Lauer’s head, he put himself on the line and on-air by releasing a statement. His professional conduct and life had come under fire, and he did what he could to shed light on the allegations. He first said that some of the allegations were “untrue or mischaracterized,” but went on to say that many aspects had truth to them.
He said that the events that were true left him “embarrassed and ashamed” of his own conduct. However, there is yet more drama that would continue to rock Lauer’s life after his public statement.
Independent Investigations
Before too long it became clear that this had reached farther than just NBC. It turns out that Variety and The New York Times were both doing their own digging after picking up the story – there's nothing like getting a big load of dirt on a business rival.
They were after the full story, and there was no way they were going to stop. It was thanks to these investigations that we learned more about Lauer, including the incredible detail Variety discovered that something like ten other women had also filed allegations against the reporter for similar actions!
Acknowledged By NBC
The entertainment and reporting world tilted when these reports came to light. Thanks to Variety, NBC was forced to comment. NBC stated that they were aware of only three other allegations, and were forced to acknowledge that they had indeed received these formal complaints.
The complaints confirmed the events detailed had occurred between the years of 2000 and 2007, but the complaints largely went ignored. Fans of the Today show were shocked that nothing had been done, and it became clear that Lauer himself would have to talk about his side of the stories, and he thankfully already had a platform to do it from.
Two Weeks Later
A mere fortnight after Lauer released his statement on the reports, yet another allegation arose. A woman by the name of Addie Zinone lodged another complaint against the news anchor, once again citing inappropriate behavior of a similar vein.
Zinone was a former production assistant at NBC that explained she had been in a consensual relationship with Lauer, but she felt that Lauer was abusing his power over her during that time. She included details in her report, such as the idea that turning down his advances made her fear for her job. This raises another detail: Lauer was married the whole time.
The Strain on His Marriage
Almost the entire time Lauer was working on the Today show, he had been in a committed relationship with a woman named Annette Roque – the two got hitched in 1998. They had three children together, but as these allegations of misconduct increased in number and severity, Annette revealed that more than once Matt had been unfaithful during their marriage.
All of these unfaithful episodes, as well as the rumors, allegations, and reports, tipped the scales too far for Roque. She filed for divorce in January of 2018 – yet another blow that Lauer took, but nowhere near the last.