Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb Support Each Other After Matt Lauer Firing

Today show anchor Savannah Guthrie called it “a sad day here at NBC News” Wednesday morning right before she shared the news that co-anchor Matt Lauer had been fired from NBC after the network received a complaint accusing Lauer of inappropriate sexual behavior.

The two women were seen hugging each other on set Wednesday morning, joining together to support one another in the wake of Lauer’s firing.

After Guthrie shared the news on-air, she explained that it was hard for her to reconcile her colleague of so many years with the allegations against him.

“For the moment, all we can say is we are heartbroken,” she said. “I’m heartbroken for Matt. He is my dear, dear friend and my partner. And he is beloved by many, many people here.”

“And I’m heartbroken for the brave colleague that came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell,” she continued. “And we are grappling with a dilemma that so many people have faced these weeks. How do you reconcile your love for someone with the recognition that they have behaved badly. And I don’t know the answer to that. But I know this reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important. It’s long overdue. And it must result in workplaces where all women, all people, feel safe and respected. As painful as it is this moment in our culture, and this change, had to happen.”

Kotb added, “This is a very tough morning for both of us. I’ve known Matt for 15 years and I’ve loved him as a friend and a colleague.”

She continued, “And just like you were saying, Savannah, it’s hard to reconcile what we are hearing with the man who we know, who walks in this building every, single day. We’re both woken up with the news kind of pre-dawn. And we’re trying to process it and make sense of it. And it will take some time for that.”

Lauer began working as a co-anchor for the Today show in 1997, originally joining the show as a news anchor in 1994, the network shares.

Photo Credit: Getty / Drew Angerer