Katie Couric Accused Matt Lauer of Inappropriate Behavior in 2012

The announcement that veteran anchorman Matt Lauer was fired by NBC News shook the early news cycle, but perhaps it shouldn’t have.

A clip of Katie Couric, his former co-host, has surfaced where she spells out that his actions were an on-going issue.

She told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in 2012 that Lauer was too hands-on for her liking.

“He pinches me on the ass a lot,” Couric said.

Lauer was terminated on Wednesday after a complaint was filed against him for inappropriate sexual behavior at work.

Savannah Guthrie opened Wednesday morning’s show with the announcement of Lauer’s release – which you can watch here. Guthrie, who took the place of Couric as Lauer’s co-anchor for the morning news program, showed a balance of distress and composure while she delivered the news with Hoda Kotb at her side.

A memo was also sent to NBC employees, the network said. NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said the complaint filed by a colleague of Lauer’s showed a “clear violation of our company’s standards” and prompted a serious review of the host.

Though Lack said it was the first complaint made against Lauer since he took over as anchor of the show in 1997, there was “reason to believe” it may not have been a singular incident — as now evidenced by Kouric’s claim.

“Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter who the offender,” Lack said.

“As I’m sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing all of this,” Guthrie, a Today colleague, said of Lauer’s absence.