Behind the scenes, however, the on-set environment could sometimes resemble a boys’ club, particularly in the years before Comcast completed its acquisition of NBCUniversal in 2013, according to interviews with more than half a dozen former staff members. Lauer is part of a cast that presents itself as a tight-knit family. The “Today” show caters to - and relies on - an overwhelmingly female audience, and Mr. Lauer as “a dear, dear friend” and adding that she was “heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story.” Lauer’s co-anchor, was visibly shaken when she delivered the news to viewers, describing Mr. on Wednesday staff members were told just minutes before the show went on the air at 7 a.m. Lauer’s involvement with the woman who made the complaint began while they were in Sochi, Russia, to cover the Winter Olympics in 2014, and that their involvement continued after they returned to New York, according to two people briefed on the meeting. In an editorial meeting on Wednesday, Mr. But it was the formal complaint on Monday that prompted NBC to take action. Lauer’s behavior, alerting the network to potential articles about him. Journalists at several news outlets had recently conducted interviews with former and current NBC employees about Mr. Lauer, 59, joins an ignominious group of media figures felled by the recent spate of harassment claims, including the studio mogul Harvey Weinstein, the comedian Louis C.K., the CBS host Charlie Rose and the political journalist Mark Halperin. Lauer’s firing to denounce NBC News’s coverage and call for other senior figures at NBC News to be ousted. Even President Trump - who himself has denied multiple allegations of sexual misconduct - weighed in, seizing on Mr. Lauer’s sudden downfall shook the television world, where he had established himself as one of the most powerful men in his industry. Lauer issued an apology, expressing “sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused.” She said that she felt helpless because she didn’t want to lose her job, and that she didn’t report the encounter at the time because she felt ashamed. She told The Times that she passed out and had to be taken to a nurse. She provided her account to The New York Times but declined to let her name be used. Lauer had summoned her to his office in 2001, locked the door and sexually assaulted her. One complaint came from a former employee who said Mr. Lauer, according to a person briefed on the network’s handling of the matter. On Wednesday, NBC received at least two more complaints related to Mr. “While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident,” Andrew Lack, the NBC News chairman, wrote in a memo to staff.
NBC News said it had decided to dismiss its star morning anchor after a woman met with network executives on Monday to describe her interactions with him.
Lauer, a presence in American living rooms for more than 20 years, adds to a head-spinning string of prominent firings over sexual harassment and abuse allegations. The fast-moving national reckoning over sexual harassment in the workplace toppled another television news star on Wednesday when NBC fired Matt Lauer, the co-host of its most profitable franchise, “Today,” after an allegation of inappropriate sexual behavior with a subordinate.
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