Two chapters in Catch and Kill deal with Lauer’s allegations. In an interview that revealed his original accuser to be Brooke Nevils, a former NBC News employee, Farrow got one of the most explosive segments of the entire book.
In the interview, Nevils alleged that during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Lauer anally raped Nevils in his hotel room. Nevils had been drinking, and after going up to Lauer’s room to retrieve her press credentials, Lauer invited her up again. “[I] had no reason to suspect Lauer would be anything but friendly based on prior experience.”
The Tell-All Book
It was thought that a tell-all book was headed toward us, and it will give out as many little details as it is possible to divulge. It was believed that the accuser worked for Today show host Meredith Vieira, and there were long discussions with publishers. It wasn't known at first if the accuser would reveal her identity, and before it came out, it was rumored to contain plenty of surprising details.
By now the book has been released, and the details were indeed plenty surprising. They're also quite X-rated, so if you have kids in the room, make sure they aren't reading over your shoulder.
Secrets Revealed
In 2019, American journalist Ronan Farrow published the book Catch and Kill, which recounts the challenges he faced chasing down the stories of abusers such as Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen, and more – including Matt Lauer.
The title of the book comes from a common tactic to make potentially damaging stories disappear, in which a media source (such as a tabloid) buys exclusive rights to “catch” the story, then turning around to “kill” it without releasing it to benefit a third party, almost always the person or persons who would be damaged. All this would be done without the original whistle-blower's knowledge.
The Definition of Non-consensual
According to Nevils, once she was in Lauer's hotel room for the second time, Lauer began the assault by pushing her against the door and kissing her. He then pushed her onto the bed, and according to the report, forced himself on her.
“She was in the midst of telling him she wasn't interested again when he 'just did it,'” Farrow wrote in the book.
Too Drunk to Say Yes
Farrow continued saying that while she said yes, she just wept into a pillow.
Nevils maintains that she was just too drunk to truly consent.