Lauer says Ronan Farrow's work on him was shoddy and biased
NEW YORK Matt Lauer accused author Ronan Farrow on Tuesday of shoddy and biased journalism in his book Catch and Kill that included what Lauer says is a false accusation that the former Today show host raped a co-worker. Lauer, similarly, said Farrow had not corroborated several specific accusations against him in the 2019 book, Catch and Kill.NBC fired Lauer in 2017 for an inappropriate relationship with a co-worker. In Farrow's book, that former co-worker, Brooke Nevils, said Lauer raped her in a Sochi hotel room during the 2014 Winter Olympics. Farrow tweeted a brief response to Lauer's lengthy piece: All I'll say on this is that Matt Lauer is just wrong. Catch and Kill was thoroughly reported and fact-checked, including with Matt Lauer himself.Farrow's publisher, Little, Brown and Co., said it fully supported the author.
NBCUniversal says sexual harassment victims can speak out
Former NBC News employees who signed nondisclosure agreements can come forward with their stories of sexual harassment at the network, NBCUniversal said in a statement. The statement was first reported by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who read it on air. "Any former NBC News employee who believes that they cannot disclose their experience with sexual harassment as a result of a confidentiality or non-disparagement provision in their separation agreement should contact NBCUniversal and we will release them from that perceived obligation," the statement reads. Maddow read the statement before interviewing Ronan Farrow, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has reported on sexual misconduct in the media industry. Lauer has denied the accusations of rape, saying the sexual encounters he had were consensual.
Ronan Farrow Defends Matt Lauer's Accuser Brook Nevils: 'She Said No to a Physical
"Again, I can't answer specific questions about that but I can say that Matt Lauer's thinking that's represented in this letter is in the book," Farrow replied, referring to Lauer's open letter statement. "Did they allow it because they were afraid information about Matt Lauer was going to get out?" Nevils went on to call Lauer's open letter "a case study in victim blaming." A representative for Farrow also released a statement in the wake of Lauer's open letter. "I was deeply shocked and saddened by Matt Lauer's letter yesterday in response to Brooke's allegations of sexual assault," Zinone said in part.
Matt Lauer Accuser Addie Collins Zinone Reacts to His Letter Refuting Brooke Nevils' Rape
Addie Collins Zinone is continuing to speak out against Matt Lauer. "I was deeply shocked and saddened by Matt Lauer's letter yesterday in response to Brooke's allegations of sexual assault," Zinone shared in her statement. "This paragraph is particularly triggering for me and so many others," she added, quoting the following text from Lauer's open letter:Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a very private person. NBC also released a statement on Wednesday following the release of Lauer's letter, which stated, "Matt Lauers conduct was appalling, horrific and reprehensible, as we said at the time. RELATED CONTENT:Brooke Nevils Calls Matt Lauer's Open Letter 'A Case Study in Victim Blaming'Matt Lauer's Accuser Brooke Nevils Tweets Her Thanks for Support After Sharing Her Story
Matt Lauer's Accuser Brooke Nevils Calls His Open Letter 'A Case Study in Victim
Brooke Nevils is not letting Matt Lauer's statement stand. In a statement toNBC Nightly News on Wednesday, Nevils slammed Lauer's lengthy statement. Theres the Matt Lauer that millions of Americans watched on TV every morning for two decades, and there is the Matt Lauer who this morning attempted to bully a former colleague into silence," she said. Brooke Nevils (@BrookeNevils) October 9, 2019In addition to Nevils, Lauer's former Today show coworkers responded to the "shocking" allegation. Here's what they had to say:RELATED CONTENT: 'Today' Anchors React to New Allegation of Rape Brought Against Matt Lauer Embed Code RestartMatt Lauer's Accuser Brooke Nevils Tweets Her Thanks for Support After Sharing Her StoryMatt Lauer's Divorce: A Timeline of His Split From Annette RoqueAnn Curry Shows Support for Matt Lauer's Accuser Brooke Nevils
Ann Curry Shows Support for Matt Lauer's Accuser Brooke Nevils
Ann Curry is speaking out in defense of one of her former colleagues. "Brooke Nevils is a credible young woman of good character," Curry tweeted. In a January 2018 interview with CBS This Morning, Curry openly addressed the sexual misconduct allegations that led to the firing of Lauer in November 2017. King then pressed Curry about speculation as to whether Lauer was behind her leaving Today. NBC also released a statement to ET, which reads: "Matt Lauers conduct was appalling, horrific and reprehensible, as we said at the time.
What to Know About the Woman Who's Accused Matt Lauer of Rape
Lauer, who was terminated by the network two years ago after Nevils complained of "inappropriate sexual behavior" on Lauer's part, hit back hard Wednesday against her new accusations of rape. We performed oral sex on each other, we had vaginal sex, and we had anal sex. But on this night, she said, Lauer pushed her onto the bed, "asking if she liked anal sex," Farrow wrote. It was nonconsensual in that I said, multiple times, that I didn't want to have anal sex," Farrow quotes her as saying. I want to say that we know it wasnt easy for our colleague Brooke to come forward then.
Matt Lauer Accused of Rape, Calls Allegation 'Categorically False'
Matt Lauer is denying a new allegation against him and claims the affair was consensual. On her second visit to Lauer's room, Nevils alleges in the book, that Lauer "pushed her against the door and kissed her. Statement from NBC News about the Matt Lauer allegations. We really feel bad for Brooke Nevils and it took a lot of courage to do that." For two years, the women with whom I had extramarital relationships have abandoned shared responsibility, and instead, shielded themselves from blame behind false allegations.