Matt Lauer Reportedly Agrees to Pay Annette Roque $20M in Divorce Settlement

Matt Lauer has reportedly agreed to pay his wife, Annette Roque, $20 million in a divorce payout, Page Six reports. The disgraced 60-year-old news anchor is reportedly “bending over backwards” to give Roque anything she wants in their divorce.

The couple have been getting along amicably in the more recent months — something that could not be said for the first few months after Lauer was fired by NBC for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace. They’re both spending time at their mansion in the Hamptons, where Lauer initially retreated following the scandal last year.

“Things really have settled down. Matt and Annette are getting on and they’re both spending time with their kids. They hope to settle the divorce very soon,” a source told Page Six.

The news outlet reports that divorce proceedings are going smoothly because the couple had already signed a “postnup” agreement after Lauer persuaded Roque to drop previous divorce filings in 2006. At the time, Roque cited “mental abuse, extreme mental and emotional distress, humiliation, torment and anxiety,” after reportedly learning that Lauer had not been faithful.

“Matt agreed to pay Annette a lump sum of millions back in 2006 as an incentive to stay with him to help him maintain his squeaky clean image as ‘America’s Dad,’” a source told Page Six, adding that Roque “also got an allowance every year, plus it was agreed that she would get a share of the value of all their homes if they did split.”

Lauer reportedly bought the 12-bedroom Hamptons mansion from Richard Gere in 2016 for $36.5 million. He has already sold his Upper East Side apartment, currently has one of his Sag Harbor homes on the market, and still owns his New Zealand farm, which he purchased in February 2017.

Lauer and Roque, who have been married for 20 years, are believed to have agreed to share custody of their three children (Jack, 17, Romy, 14, and Thijs, 11). Friends say while Lauer is a “devoted dad” and has spent time with his kids since his firing, he still resents the scandal.

“Matt still maintains the relationships he had in the workplace were consensual. He does feel like the poster boy of the #MeToo movement when he sees other high powered men hanging on to their jobs despite allegations,” the insider said.

“There are aspects of the NBC report with which I clearly disagree. However, I spent 25 wonderful years at the network, 20 of those at Today, and I’m extremely proud of what we accomplished as a team,” he said in statement in May after an NBC investigation found there was no evidence company executives knew of Lauer’s behavior.

“On November 29, 2017, I was terminated by NBC after admitting to past relationships with co-workers. A day later I took responsibility for those relationships, apologized to the people I hurt and promised to begin the process of repairing the damage I had caused my family,” Lauer said. “I have worked every day since then to honor that promise.”