NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on NBC News’ firing of longtime “Today” show host Matt Lauer for “inappropriate sexual behavior” (all times local):
8:30 a.m.
Matt Lauer’s former “Today” show colleagues were emotional on-air while dealing with the aftermath of his firing by NBC for what it termed “inappropriate sexual behavior.”
Co-host Savannah Guthrie fought back tears while calling Lauer “my friend and my partner.” She added that she was “heartbroken” for her unnamed colleague who the network said reported Lauer’s behavior Monday night. Hoda Kotb, who replaced Lauer in the anchor chair for the morning, added that she loved Lauer “as a friend and as a colleague” and said it was “hard to reconcile what we are hearing with the man who we know.”
Weatherman Al Roker was also visibly upset on-air, saying he was “still trying to process the news” while giving his report.
___
7:40 a.m.
President Donald Trump is responding to the termination of “Today” show host Matt Lauer, saying executives at NBC and Comcast should be “fired for putting out so much Fake News.”
Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017
On Twitter Wednesday, Trump says “Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.’ But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News.”
Trump then cited the NBC News chairman adding: “Check out Andy Lack’s past!” It was not immediately clear what that comment referred to.
NBC announced Wednesday that it had terminated Lauer for inappropriate behavior at workplace. Lauer’s co-host Savannah Guthrie made the announcement at the top of Wednesday’s “Today” show.
___
NEW YORK (AP) — NBC News says longtime “Today” show host Matt Lauer has been fired for “inappropriate sexual behavior.”
Lauer’s co-anchor Savannah Guthrie made the announcement at the top of Wednesday’s “Today” show.
Guthrie read a statement from NBC News chairman Andy Lack, stating that the company has received a detailed complaint from a colleague Monday night “about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace” by Lauer. Lack’s statement said the company found that after a serious review of the complaint it represented “a clear violation” of the company’s standards, and Lauer was terminated as a result.
Lack added in his statement that it was the first complaint about Lauer in more than 20 years at NBC, but “we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
The move comes a week after CBS News fired morning anchor Charlie Rose amid reports of sexual misconduct.