uh, emotional about the the hounding of the press and the paparazzi and how they were making her life miserable. So, I think I did my job. >> Matt Lauer was America’s most trusted morning anchor, earning $25 million a year on NBC’s Today show. But behind the cameras was a dark secret that would destroy everything.
In November 2017, a single complaint changed his life forever. Within 24 hours, he was fired and banned from NBC. Then came the shocking details. A secret button under his desk, multiple victims, and allegations that went back decades. The man who woke up millions of Americans would never work again. Today, we’re revealing what really happened and how he’s living now.
Matt Lauer was born on December 30th, 1957, right in the heart of New York City. His background was far from ordinary. His father, Jay Robert Lauer, worked as an executive at a bicycle company and came from Romanian Jewish roots. His mother, Marilyn Kalman, had been a model and ran her own boutique. Matt was raised between two very different worlds.
One was shaped by immigrant values and work ethic. The other was all about image, style, and public presence. These early influences stayed with him. They helped him become adaptable, polished, and aware of how the world sees you. Important skills for someone who would later speak to millions on live television. Matt wasn’t the first in his family to step into the spotlight.
His grandfather, Art Gentry, had been a professional singer. He wasn’t a household name, but he performed during the golden age of music, and young Matt was often there watching. Seeing his grandfather command a stage made a deep impression. It wasn’t just entertainment. It was about how to connect with an audience. Matt absorbed everything.
He learned how to carry himself, how to stay composed, and how to speak in a way that made people listen. These lessons came long before any journalism classes and would later define his on-air style. In the late 1970s, Matt enrolled at Ohio University. He chose communications as his major and was on track to graduate.
But in 1979, when he was just 21, he made a bold move. He dropped out just four credits short of finishing his degree. He didn’t wait around for a diploma. He wanted real experience. And he got it. His first job was as a news producer at WAVY in Huntington, West Virginia. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was the start. And Matt wasn’t just punching the clock.
He worked hard, learned fast, and made himself useful. Within a year, he was reporting on camera and had even landed his own talk show segment. That early promotion to on-air reporter in 1980, when he was just 22, showed how fast he was moving. It was unusual for someone so young, especially without a degree. But Matt wasn’t typical.
He jumped into the deep end, handling both the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. newscasts in a mid-sized market. These weren’t puff pieces. It was live news under pressure. Matt’s calm presence, even as a beginner, started turning heads. He didn’t just want a job in TV. He wanted to master it. From 1980 to 1986, Matt co-hosted PM Magazine in three different cities.
First Richmond, then Providence, and finally New York City. It was rare for a host to move markets like that, especially with success each time. PM Magazine was a fast-paced mix of local stories, celebrity segments, and lifestyle content. It wasn’t easy to pull off, especially in a different tone for each region. But Matt did. He adjusted, learned what each audience wanted, and became more polished with every move.
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His time on the New York edition of the show gave him exposure in the country’s biggest media market. It was a huge step forward. In 1986, Matt got his first real shot at national television. ABC launched a show called Fame, Fortune, and Romance, a spin-off of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. He co-hosted it with Robin Leach, known for his dramatic voice and tours of celebrity mansions.
The show was flashy and indulgent, showing off yachts, private jets, and the lives of billionaires. It didn’t last long, less than a year, but it put Matt in front of viewers across the country. He wasn’t just a regional name anymore. He was starting to break through. By the late 1980s, Matt was doing something almost no one else could manage.
He was working in multiple cities at the same time. From 1987 to 1989, he juggled local hosting gigs in Philadelphia and Boston, while also working for ESPN and HBO. He’d report on sports like the Stanley Cup finals for ESPN and cover entertainment segments for HBO. It meant long hours, constant travel, and very little sleep.
People in the industry noticed he was everywhere. Some even joked that he lived at the airport, but that grind paid off. He built a reputation as someone who could do it all, news, sports, entertainment, and do it well. Matt Lauer’s time on 9 Broadcast Plaza between 1989 and 1991 wasn’t just another local news job. The show ran 3 hours live every day on WWTV in New York, and it didn’t take long for things to get strange.
Producers started bringing in more wild and controversial guests, trying to ride the wave of early ’90s shock TV culture. Lauer didn’t like the direction. He clashed with the producers often and even refused to read live ads for a dial mattress sponsor, which was rare for someone still building a name. His time there ended abruptly, and when he quit, people like Willard Scott, Al Roker, and Howie Mandel briefly took over hosting.
That same show later transformed into the Richard Bey Show, which became infamous for things like lie detector tests and Miss Big But contests. It went off the rails, but Low had already walked away. By 1992, he was almost out of money. He had no regular TV job and was close to bouncing a rent check.
Then WNBC-TV gave him a lifeline. He was hired to co-anchor today in New York with Jane Hanson. The show aired early in the morning, but it was enough to get him back on his feet. Just a year later, he was promoted to co-anchor Live at Five, one of the station’s prime evening spots. He worked both shows for a while, sometimes appearing on three different NBC programs in the same day.
The long hours paid off. He gained a reputation for being smooth, dependable, and surprisingly warm for a newsman. His energy stood out. He brought a human touch to stiff formats and made connections with NBC executives. Those early WNBC years helped him get noticed on a national level. Between 1992 and 1997, Low became the guy NBC could call for anything.
He filled in on Weekend Today, NBC News at Sunrise, and even NBC Nightly News when Tom Brokaw was away. His schedule was brutal. He’d be doing weather at dawn, midday news by lunch, and prime news at night. It didn’t matter. He kept showing up and doing it well. Within NBC, his name became synonymous with reliability. People noticed his ability to jump into any role without flinching.
He wasn’t flashy, but he was versatile and consistent. Those years built trust with top executives. That trust led to a turning point in January 1994, when he was named full-time news anchor for the Today Show. From that point, his rise was fast and steady. Even with his growing fame, there was one thing Lauer hadn’t finished, his college degree.
He had left Ohio University almost 20 years earlier, just four credits short. In 1997, at the age of 39, he finally went back. The university’s president invited him not only to finish his degree, but also to give the commencement speech. Instead of taking traditional classes, Lauer wrote a paper about how his television career related to what he had studied.
That summer, he walked across the stage with the class of 1997, nearly two decades after his peers. For him, it wasn’t just symbolic, it was something personal. He later said that moment gave him more pride than many of his career achievements. Two years later in 1999, Ohio University’s Alumni Association awarded him the Medal of Merit in recognition of his work and the inspiration he gave to other late finishers.
Matt Lauer’s story at NBC began on June 13th, 1994, when he officially stepped into the role of news anchor for the Today show. The show was struggling at the time, losing viewers to Good Morning America. NBC needed a change, and Lauer’s presence was exactly that. He wasn’t stiff like most network anchors. He had a warmth that made people feel like he belonged in their living room.
Within three years, he helped turn the tide. Viewers started coming back. He mixed hard news with celebrity interviews in a way that felt new and natural. NBC quickly noticed. They had him fill in for big names like Bryant Gumbel and Tom Brokaw. That kind of trust wasn’t usually given to someone so new, but Lauer proved he could handle it.
By the time he became co-anchor, his Q rating had soared. He wasn’t just popular, he was one of the most bankable names NBC had. In those early years, Lauer built strong relationships with his co-hosts, but it wasn’t always easy. Working with veterans like Bryant Gumbel meant learning how to share space on camera and off.
Gumbel was known to be controlling. He liked to start the show, lead the big segments, and keep things in his hands. Lowar, who was younger by 9 years, didn’t fight it head-on. Instead, he used humor and charm to win people over. With Katie Couric, it was different. Their connection came naturally. Couric later admitted she’d had a crush on Lowar back when he was doing local news.
On screen, their chemistry lit up the mornings. They joked, teased, and even finished each other’s sentences. It felt like a flirtation, but viewers loved it. The way they played off each other made the show feel fresh. That bond helped make today feel less like a news broadcast and more like a morning ritual. Lowar didn’t just handle the soft stuff.
His skills really showed during major news events. Before becoming co-anchor, he was already reporting on big national and global stories. NBC trusted him with live coverage when it mattered most. One of his early challenges came during the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995. It was a moment when the usual light tone of the show had to change.
Lowar was part of that shift. He helped deliver tough news with a calm presence. That moment gave viewers a sense of stability during a tragedy. He also covered the O.J. Simpson trial, walking a fine line between serious reporting and accessibility for morning viewers. These experiences showed that Lowar wasn’t just there for small talk.
He was building a reputation as someone you could count on when the world felt uncertain. On January 6th, 1997, Lowar was promoted to co-anchor. It was a big step. He was taking over from Bryant Gumbel, a major figure in the industry. The pressure was high. Everyone was watching that first week, waiting to see if he could handle it.
He didn’t just survive it, he thrived. The ratings that week were the second highest in the show’s history up to that point. Audiences responded not just to the news, but to the feeling Lauer and Couric gave off together. Around NBC, he was called the hunk next door, but it wasn’t just about his looks. He was sharp, quick on his feet, and knew how to steer an interview.
Over the next 20 years, he became the face of the show. He interviewed presidents, celebrities, and people caught in the middle of world-changing events. His time on Today shaped what morning TV would look like for a generation. At the same time, Matt took on more serious roles, too. In 1997, he became a contributing anchor for Dateline NBC.
That position lasted 20 years and pushed him into the world of investigative reporting. He didn’t just cover lighthearted stories. He reported on mysteries, cultural issues, and long-form documentaries. He led primetime specials and worked on serious topics that aired during evening hours, not just in the mornings. Most morning anchors never get to cross that line, but Matt did it for two decades.
He brought millions of primetime viewers along for the ride, and it helped build his reputation as a journalist who could do both entertainment and hard news. That kind of dual presence made him seem more versatile, more reliable, and more permanent than most other news personalities. His personal life also moved fast during this time.
In July 1997, he met Dutch model Annette Roque on a blind date. Just 5 months later, they were married on October 3rd, 1998 in Bridgehampton, New York. The quick marriage caught the attention of both fans and tabloids. Annette, who was known in the modeling world as Jade, was just 22 and already successful in Paris and New York.
She had modeled for Victoria’s Secret and J. Crew and brought her own touch of international elegance to the relationship. Matt later admitted he didn’t feel an instant connection on that first date. It took about 2 months for them to even kiss. But when they moved forward, they moved fast. Their marriage became a media sensation, especially because it paired one of America’s most visible television personalities with a European fashion model.
They would eventually have three children together, but their relationship faced serious struggles behind the scenes. Their first child, Jack Matthew, was born on June 26th, 2001. Their daughter, Romy, followed in October 2003. And their youngest, Tai, arrived in November 2006. On the surface, it looked like a perfect family.
Matt talked about loving the quiet moments, family dinners, milestones, and raising kids together. Those little things seemed to matter more than the spotlight. But the pressure from his career and the constant attention they received wore down the foundation of their home life. Even though they often attended public events together, like their children’s horseback riding competitions and school graduations, things were not always as calm as they appeared.
In 2006, while pregnant with Tai, Annette filed for divorce. The filing was deeply shocking. According to reports, she accused Matt of mental abuse, emotional distress, humiliation, and controlling behavior. She said he had extreme anger and hostility and even tried to control the tiniest decisions in their lives. It painted a picture far different from what viewers believed they saw on screen.
The timing made the whole situation even more painful. They were expecting their third child, living in the Hamptons, and presenting themselves as a strong family. But the reality was breaking apart. The divorce petition was a wake-up call not just for their inner circle, but for the wider public who had seen them as an ideal couple.
What came next surprised everyone. Just a few weeks after filing, Annette withdrew the divorce petition. They decided to try counseling and work things out. Many people thought the split was inevitable, especially after such serious allegations. But Matt and Annette seemed to agree that their kids deserved a second chance at family life.
For the next 10 years, they stayed together publicly. They continued showing up together at events and tried to give their children a sense of normalcy, but the emotional effort behind the scenes was heavy. Friends later said that while they looked like a couple, they were often living very separate lives. The reconciliation helped preserve Matt’s public image, but it didn’t erase the problems that had led to the divorce filing in the first place.
The scandal that destroyed Matt Lauer’s career began quietly during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. At the time, he was one of the most trusted faces on American television, earning $20 million a year as the lead anchor of NBC’s Today Show. But behind the scenes, something terrible was happening.
A young NBC employee later told the network that Lauer had sexually assaulted her in his hotel room during the Olympics. The details were disturbing, and she said it wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was rape. Her name was Brooke Nevils, and her account stayed private until Ronan Farrow revealed it in his 2019 book Catch and Kill.
That moment in Sochi would quietly trigger a chain reaction that ended Lauer’s career. When NBC got the complaint, they launched an immediate internal investigation. On November 29th, 2017, less than a day after receiving the report, NBC fired Lauer. The speed shocked everyone. His co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb found out just minutes before they had to announce it live on air.
They looked stunned and emotional as they shared the news with millions of viewers. After 20 years on the show, Lauer’s exit happened in just hours. But what followed was even more intense. Within 24 hours, at least three more women came forward with their own stories of harassment. Their accounts weren’t isolated.
They showed a clear pattern of behavior that had gone on for years. Some women said they had tried to report him before, but no one listened. Many were too afraid to speak out because Lauer had so much power at the network. As the stories piled up, it became obvious this wasn’t just about one man.
It was about a workplace culture that let this happen. Then came the most disturbing details. Variety published a report after speaking to dozens of current and former NBC employees. They revealed that Lauer had a secret button under his desk that let him lock his office door from the inside. NBC claimed it was just a standard security feature, but several women said he used it to trap them.
The article also said he gave female employees sex toys as gifts, exposed himself to colleagues, and interrogated women about their sex lives. If they resisted him, he mocked or punished them. These weren’t rumors. These were first-hand accounts from people who had worked with him for years. It became clear that this was a toxic environment where the abuse had been allowed to continue.
One of the most disturbing stories went back to 2001. A former Today show producer said Lauer called her to his office during the work day. After she walked in, he pressed the hidden button and locked the door behind her. He told her to unbutton her blouse. Then he assaulted her. She said she passed out during the attack and woke up on the floor with her pants undone.
Lauer’s assistant had to take her to a nurse. She didn’t report it because she was afraid it would ruin her career. Back then, Lauer was untouchable. No one would have believed her. That silence let him keep going. When NBC fired him in November 2017, they made it clear he was gone for good. The network’s chairman sent a memo to staff at around 6:30 in the morning, just before the day’s live broadcast.
The message said Lauer had violated NBC standards and that they believed it wasn’t an isolated case. They also refused to pay out the rest of his contract. Lauer had a $20 million annual deal. But NBC cut him off immediately and didn’t give him any severance. He was fired for cause, meaning they believed the wrongdoing was serious enough to cancel the contract entirely.
That decision sent a strong message that they wanted nothing more to do with him. Variety’s investigation had already been in the works for months. The timing was explosive. On the same day Lauer was fired, they published their full findings. They described a consistent pattern of harassment, including Lauer giving sex toys with explicit notes, exposing himself, and constantly making inappropriate comments.
Employees said the atmosphere was filled with Fay. Many knew what was going on, but felt they couldn’t say anything. The article made it clear that the complaint NBC received wasn’t new information. It was just the first one they had finally acted on. Even more shocking were the claims that NBC management had known about Lauer’s behavior for years.
Some staffers said complaints had been ignored. One former employee said Lauer right that management had protected him because he was too important to the network. NBC denied that they knew anything in advance, but the damage was already done. People began to question who else had looked the other way and how many others had suffered in silence.
The scandal forced NBC to change its internal policies. They introduced new rules that made it a firing offense to cover up misconduct. Matt Lauer’s fall from grace happened fast. One moment he was one of the most trusted faces in American television, and the next he was a ghost. After being fired from NBC’s Today show in late 2017, the man who used to dominate morning news disappeared almost completely from public life.
By 2018, many of his closest friends had cut ties. People who once called and texted regularly stopped hearing from him. He didn’t return messages. He rarely left home. Some said he went months without speaking to anyone outside his immediate family. The man who used to walk red carpets and host high-profile events suddenly vanished.
He retreated to his estate in the Hamptons. There, behind the gates of Stronghold Manor, he tried to become invisible. It was a massive waterfront property he had bought from Richard Gere in 2016 for $36.5 million. It had 12 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, over 14,000 square feet of space, and every luxury imaginable, including a tea house by the water and a heated pool.
At one point, he listed it for $44.8 million. It finally sold in 2022 for $40.9 million. Locals would occasionally spot him doing normal things, driving his kids to school, picking up breakfast, but he always looked tired. He was trying to blend in. He kept up with the nearby homes, but stayed quiet. His life, once lived in front of cameras, moved into the shadows.
At the same time, his marriage to Annette Roque came to an end. She was a Dutch model and equestrian, and they had been married for 21 years. They had three kids together. When the scandal broke, she separated from him almost immediately. The divorce took nearly 2 years and became final on September 7th, 2019. He reportedly agreed to all her terms without a fight.
She walked away with as much as $20 in assets, including full ownership of their horse farm. They continued to co-manage the farm and the custody arrangement for the kids was described as peaceful. Despite the public attention, they handled it quietly. People close to Loauer said he tried to save the marriage, but Roe had already made up her mind.
Things got worse in October 2019. That’s when journalist Ronan Farrow published Catch and Kill, a book that included serious allegations against Loauer. It described an alleged rape of former NBC producer Brooke Nevil during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Loauer denied it, insisting the relationship had been consensual. But the book went deeper than just one story.
It painted a picture of a network that had protected Loauer for years. It described a culture of silence at NBC where complaints were buried and powerful people looked the other way. The public was stunned. The news exploded again. Loauer wasn’t just a disgraced anchor anymore. He was now a central figure in a larger reckoning about abuse and power in media.
In 2020, Loauer finally responded after 2 years of silence. He wrote a long open letter. He denied the allegations from Nevil, saying the relationship had been inappropriate but not criminal. He accused Ronan Farrow of sloppy journalism, claiming the book ignored facts and failed to present his side fairly.
He said the media was more interested in sensationalism than truth. He admitted he had made mistakes, but also criticized how the public and press had treated him. The letter was detailed and emotional, but it didn’t change much. Most people saw it as a weak attempt to save his reputation. Farrow stood by his reporting.
The damage had already been done. As of 2025, Loauer is still living in the Hamptons. He also spends time in New Zealand. His net worth, despite everything, remains high, around $80 million. At the height of his career, he had earned up to $25 million a year from NBC. even after paying out a huge divorce settlement, is still financially secure.
He hasn’t returned to television or launched any new projects, and he doesn’t need to. He keeps a low profile, enjoying a quiet life of luxury without the attention he once craved. In his personal life, something unexpected happened. In 2019, not long after his divorce, he began dating Shamin Abas, a long-time friend and luxury brand executive.
They had known each other for about 20 years before the romance started. Despite intense interest from the media, they’ve kept things private. They travel together, attend events occasionally, and split their time between New York and the Hamptons. Abas is described by friends as deeply supportive. Their relationship has lasted more than 5 years now.
They avoid the spotlight and seem content living a life far removed from Low Hour’s old one. By 2024, something else shifted. Low Hour started reconnecting with old friends. After years of isolation, he began reaching out, sending messages, and making calls. People close to him say he seemed more relaxed. He was spending more time with his children and had found a rhythm in his new life.
There were no signs of a comeback.
