Was Hoda Kotb the Only ‘Today’ Host Who Ghosted Matt Lauer After He Was Fired?
Hoda Kotb has officially kicked disgraced Today host Matt Lauer out of her life. Kotb, who considered herself a close friend of Lauer, reportedly no longer talks to him following his new sexual assault allegations. While the cold shoulder has been a long time coming, Kotb is not the only Today host who has ghosted Lauer over the years.
Hoda Kotb cuts ties with Lauer for good
An inside source claims that Kotb does not speak to Lauer because of the new accusations that have been leveled against him. But prior to the new scandal, Kotb and Lauer were still on speaking terms.
According to Us Magazine, Lauer was shocked that Kotb ghosted him because they had been in contact following his firing from NBC. Turns out, he didn’t think a new round of accusations would hurt their friendship.
Earlier this month, Hoda Kotb’s co-host, Savannah Guthrie, discussed the new allegations during a segment on Today. Kotb watched on as an emotional Guthrie talked about how Lauer was accused of raping Brooke Nevils, a former NBC staffer.
Details of the rape were included in Ronan Farrow’s new book, titled Catch and Kill. The incident allegedly took place while Nevils and Matt Lauer were working the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Nevils claims that Lauer anally raped her inside a hotel room in Russia. Nevils says that she was drunk at the time of the encounter and did not give Lauer her consent.
The new allegations came to light two years after Lauer was fired from NBC for sexual misconduct. At the time, multiple women came forward and accused Lauer of sexual harassment at work. After receiving the complaints, NBC acted swiftly and removed Lauer from the network, ending his multi-million dollar contract on the spot.
Hoda Kotb took his place next to Savannah Guthrie and the network has never looked back.
Matt Lauer responds to the accusations
Following his first sexual misconduct scandal, Lauer stepped out of the spotlight and kept things fairly low-key. This time has been much different. The former Today host recently released a statement through his lawyers denying the accusations in Farrow’s book.
In short, Lauer says that his hookup with Nevils was a “consensual, sexual encounter,” and to label it as rape is nothing short of “categorically false.” He also claimed that he slept with Nevils on more than one occasion and that each time both parties consented to the sexual acts.
While Lauer contends that the rape never happened, he clearly admitted to cheating on his former wife, Annette Roque.
Matt Lauer and Roque separated shortly after he was fired from NBC, though sources claim that she regrets not leaving him much earlier in their marriage. The two finalized their divorce last month and Lauer was reportedly forced to dish out millions in the settlement. They were married for over two decades and share three children, Jack, Romy, and Thijs.
Lauer has not commented on the reports surrounding his friendship with Kotb, who is not the only Today host who has cut ties with him.
Who else from ‘Today’ has shunned Lauer?
In addition to Hoda Kotb and Guthrie, Today host Al Roker recently revealed that he no longer talks to Lauer.
During an appearance at the Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Summer 2019 TCA event, Roker was asked how Lauer is doing these days. According to USA Today, Roker revealed that he doesn’t talk to his former co-star anymore.
“I’m sure he’s doing well,” Roker shared. “I don’t really talk about that much but we wish him well.”
The comments were rare for Roker, who has not said much about Lauer since his exit in 2017. At the time, Roker assured viewers that everyone on the show was still processing what happened and that they are just as shocked as everyone else.
Lauer also released a statement in the wake of his NBC firing. The former host apologized for the pain he caused his co-workers and said he was sorry to his victims.
He noted, however, that not all of the allegations were true and that he realizes that he disappointed a lot of people at the network.
NBC, meanwhile, issued a statement regarding the revelations in Farrow’s book. The network and executives at Today claim that they did not know about Matt Lauer’s behavior prior to the complaints made in 2017.
Hoda Kotb has not commented on the rumors that she ghosted Lauer.
