Matt Lauer went from being one of the biggest names in TV to living a life out of the spotlight.
After two decades on Today, Lauer was fired from his role as the morning show’s coanchor in 2017 following sexual misconduct claims made by a former NBC employee, later revealed to be Brooke Nevils. At the time, Lauer claimed that “some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”
Nevils detailed more of the alleged harassment she suffered from Lauer in Ronan Farrow‘s 2019 book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and Conspiracy to Protect Predators, claiming she was raped by the TV personality in his hotel room during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Lauer denied the rape allegations in an October 2019 letter to Variety. Though he did not deny having an “extramarital affair” with Nevils, he claimed their sexual encounters were “mutual and completely consensual.”
“For two years, the women with whom I had extramarital relationships have abandoned shared responsibility, and instead, shielded themselves from blame behind false allegations,” he told the outlet. “They have avoided having to look a boyfriend, husband, or a child in the eye and say, ‘I cheated.’ They have done enormous damage in the process. And I will no longer provide them the shelter of my silence.” (Lauer has not faced any criminal charges for his alleged actions.)
Lauer’s love life took a hit as a result of the controversy, as his wife Annette Roque filed for divorce in July 2019. The pair’s split was finalized that September. He has been dating entrepreneur Shamin Abas since 2019, and the couple has maintained a low profile over the years.
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His social circle has also changed since the scandal, as a source told People in November 2023 that Lauer “iced out many old friends, even people who stuck by him after the Today show.”
The insider told the outlet that Lauer was living “a fairly good life,” but one very different from the life he led while on Today. “It’s a very quiet lifestyle, but he has nothing to complain about,” the source claimed. “He is dating, he’s close with his kids. He still held on to the huge horse farm he shared with Annette on Long Island and they manage it together. They’ve navigated that fairly well.”
In November 2024, another source told People that Lauer had been “reconnecting with friends” and was “doing well and happy” living a “quiet life” in the Hamptons. “He doesn’t work and he doesn’t have to. He’s not looking to,” the insider shared. “He was a journalist at heart and he did some impactful political interviews that spanned his career, but the current cycle of politics isn’t anything even people who have been doing it for a long time are really excited to cover.”
Lauer hasn’t appeared in mainstream media since his Today firing. His friend Don Lemon, however, said he would love to see the disgraced host make a TV comeback. “Whenever I see Matt out and about — or if we go out to dinner, my husband and I go out to dinner with him and his fiancée — people love him,” Lemon said on a January episode of the Hollywood Raw Podcast. “Women love him! They’re like, ‘Matt, oh my God, can I get a picture? I love you. I miss you on television, blah, blah, blah.’”
Lemon added, “I think the public loves him. The public misses him, but it’s just the… it’s the people inside the business who are afraid.”
Lauer was publicly spotted last month in Long Island, New York. “Matt Lauer keeping it low-key in Sag Harbor after a dinner outing, the former Today Show co-anchor looked calm and relaxed,” celebrity photographer Elder Ordonez captioned an Instagam snap of Lauer on August 20.
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
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