Multiple women complained about former NBC “Today” show host Matt Lauer’s alleged sexual misconduct, according to a new report published Wednesday by Variety.
The accounts reported in Variety follow the release of a memo on Wednesday from NBC News Chairman Andy Lack, who said a recent complaint about Lauer was the first one the network had received about the television host. Lack also said there is “reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
{mosads}The Variety report includes multiple allegations of sexual misconduct committed by Lauer, which included him giving a sex toy as a gift to a female colleague.
“Management sucks there,” one reporter who formally worked for the network told Variety. “They protected the shit out of Matt Lauer.”
Lauer’s firing was announced Wednesday after NBC News said it received a “detailed complaint” about the host’s behavior.
“It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards,” Lack’s memo said.
Lauer, who hosted the “Today” show since 1997, is also accused in the Variety report of making inappropriate remarks to other employees and of harassing colleagues during work travel.