Multiple Women Accuse Matt Lauer Of Sexual Harassment, Allege He Exposed Himself, Gave A Sex Toy As A Gift And More

Following Matt Lauer’s abrupt firing on Wednesday after a “Today” staffer made a formal complaint of sexual harassment to NBC’s HR department, a shocking new report in Variety outlines other allegations against the longtime morning show host.

The result of a two-month investigation that included “dozens of interviews with current and former staffers,” Variety‘s report outlines numerous allegations made against Lauer by “multiple” women, alleging an ongoing pattern of behaviour stretching back years — with “numerous sources” claiming that “Lauer’s conduct was not a secret among other employees at ‘Today’.”

Perhaps the most shocking allegation in Variety‘s investigation is that he once gave a female colleague a “sex toy” as a present, including “an explicit note about how he wanted to use it on her,” which reportedly left her “mortified.”

Another involves Lauer summoning a different female staffer to his office and then dropping his pants, exposing his penis. “After the employee declined to do anything, visibly shaken, he reprimanded her for not engaging in a sexual act,” notes Variety.

According to the accounts of more than 10 current and former NBC employees, Lauer “was known for making lewd comments verbally or over text messages,” including one time making a “a suggestive reference to a colleague’s performance in bed,” which he compared “to how she was able to complete her job.”

In addition, staffers also allege that Lauer — who has been married to Annette Roque since 1998 — regularly cheated on his wife. “There were a lot of consensual relationships, but that’s still a problem because of the power he held,” says a former producer “who knew firsthand” about Lauer’s adultery. “He couldn’t sleep around town with celebrities or on the road with random people, because he’s Matt Lauer and he’s married. So he’d have to do it within his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn’t ever complain.”

In fact, Lauer once griped to colleagues that his wife joined him while he covered the London Olympics “because she didn’t trust him to travel alone,” while several staffers recall Lauer regularly inviting “women employed by NBC” to his hotel room during past out-of-town trips while NBC covered various Olympic games.

Meanwhile, two female staffers tell Variety that Lauer’s office was located in a secluded area, and featured a button at his desk that could instantly lock the door. This, the women claim, “allowed him to welcome female employees and initiate inappropriate contact while knowing nobody could walk in on him.”

An unnamed former NBC reporter also claims that Lauer’s behaviour was known to his bosses. “Management sucks there,” says the source. “They protected the s**t out of Matt Lauer.”

Commenting on the allegations that NBC News management knew about Lauer’s behaviour, an NBC News spokesperson issued the following statement to ET Canada: “We can say unequivocally, that, prior to Monday night, current NBC News management was never made aware of any complaints about Matt Lauer’s conduct.”