Katie Couric had no idea about Matt Lauer
Talk show host breaks silence on sexual misconduct allegations against her former colleague
Katie Couric, who was Matt Lauer’s Today co-host for several years, broke her silence Saturday on sexual misconduct allegations against him.
Couric told People magazine: “I had no idea this was going on during my tenure or after I left.”
She departed NBC in 2006 to anchor the CBS Evening News and has been criticised for her silence in the more than a month since Lauer was fired. NBC News conducted an investigation of a Lauer colleague’s detailed complaint of “inappropriate sexual behaviour.” Other women have come forward with accusations against him.
“I think I speak for many of my former colleagues when I say this was not the Matt we knew,” Couric told People. “Matt was a kind and generous colleague who treated me with respect. In fact, a joke I once made on late-night television was just that, because it was completely contrary to our brother-sister relationship. It’s still very upsetting. I really admire the way Savannah [Guthrie] and Hoda [Kotb] and the entire Today show staff have handled a very difficult situation.”
Couric was referring to a remark she made in 2012 on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen that Lauer “pinches me on the [butt] a lot.” The clip received wide attention online after Lauer’s firing in late November.
Couric’s only other public statement on Lauer was one she made on Instagram last month in response to a user who chided her for not speaking out: “It’s incredibly upsetting and I will say something when I’m ready to. Thanks for your interest.”
Lauer has since apologised in a statement.
Couric is working on a six-part documentary series for the National Geographic channel called Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric and said one episode will focus on harassment women have faced in the workplace.
