Watch: The Moment Savannah Guthrie Announces Matt Lauer Was Fired

Today anchor Savannah Guthrie opened Wednesday morning’s show with the announcement that veteran NBC News host Matt Lauer had been terminated following a complaint about “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.”

Guthrie, who is traditionally Lauer’s co-anchor for the morning news program, shows a balance of distress and composure while she delivered the news with Hoda Kotb at her side.

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

According to the network, a memo was sent to NBC employees Wednesday morning announcing Lauer’s termination. 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, who has been on-air for Today since 1997.

Though Lack said it was the first complaint made against Lauer, there was “reason to believe” it may not have been a singular incident.

“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.

Guthrie tackled the personal story with transparency and vowed that NBC News would continue to share developments in the story.

“I will tell you right now we do not know more than what I just shared with you, but we will be covering this story as reporters, as journalists. I’m sure we will be learning more details in the hours and days to come. And we promise we will share that with you,” Guthrie said.

“For the moment, all we can say is that we are heartbroken. I’m heartbroken for Matt. He is my dear, dear friend and my partner and he has been loved by many, many people here,” she added. “And I’m heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell.”