Katie Couric Reveals Texting Support to Matt Lauer in Wake of Firing From 'Today Show'

Katie Couric texted her former Today Show colleague Matt Lauer a supportive message after NBC News fired him for alleged sexual misconduct, Couric revealed in her upcoming memoir, Going There. In November 2017, NBC News terminated Lauer's contract after a female NBC employee reported Lauer sexually harassed her during the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014. Several other allegations came to light in the weeks that followed, and it was later reported that NBC News was aware of Lauer's misconduct long before he was fired.

In the manuscript of Going There, obtained by The Daily Mail, Couric wrote about her response to the allegations against Lauer, whom she hosted Today with for nine years. "I am crushed. I love you and care about you deeply. I am here. Please let me know if you want to talk. There will be better days ahead," Couric wrote to Lauer on Nov. 28, 2017, the day after he was fired. Lauer replied with a blowing kiss emoji. She reproduced the texts in the book, which will be released on Oct. 26.

Couric wrote that Lauer was a "decent" man and she was worried about how he would tell his children about his firing. It felt "heartless to abandon him," Couric wrote. Couric's "heart sank" after she heard about the "awful" allegations against him. Eventually, Couric realized that Lauer could be an "excellent professional partner, a good friend, and a predator" all at once.

During her time at Today, Couric had heard "whispers" about Lauer's behavior, she wrote. She recalled one time when his wife called the control room on a Saturday morning, asking for the phone number of a woman she believed Lauer was having an affair with. There was also another alleged incident when Laer sent an inappropriate email to a Today producer by mistake. Couric knew it was "gross" that Lauer was cheating on his wife, but the "general rule" at the time was, "It's none of your business," Couric wrote.

This isn't the first time Couric spoke out about the allegations against Lauer. In November 2019, she spoke about how "painful" it was to hear about the many sexual harassment allegations in the media business that surfaced in 2017 and 2018. "It's been painful for me on many levels, especially when it comes to understanding what was going on with Matt, who I think ultimately turned out to be two very different people, in terms of my relationship with him versus some of the other things that were going on," Couric said at a Women Who Inspire event, Variety reported at the time.

Lauer was suddenly fired in November 2017 after NBC News announced it received a harassment complaint against him from a female NBC employee who said she was sexually harassed by Lauer during the 2014 Winter Olympics. NBC News claimed it was aware that the New York Times and Variety were investigating Lauer's behavior, and it was later reported that NBC News was aware of Lauer's behavior before receiving the complaint about the 2014 incident. In November 2017, Variety reported there were allegations from as many as 10 women against him. In his 2019 book, Catch and Kill, Ronan Farrow included an allegation from Brooke Nevins, who accused Lauer of rape during the 2014 Olympics. Lauer denied having a non-consensual relationship with Nevins.  

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