00:00Hoda's here with me this morning because this is a sad morning here at Today and at NBC News.
00:05Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb open Wednesday's Today show covering the report that
00:09NBC News has fired longtime anchor Matt Lauer after a complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior.
00:15Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News, the show's Twitter feed announced early morning.
00:19On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual
00:24behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. As a result, we've decided to terminate his employment.
00:29Lauer had signed a new two-year, $20 million contract in 2016 that extended through 2018.
00:35The news is a major blow to Today as the new deal was designed to keep him in the anchor chair
00:39where he's long been a source of stability through at least next year.
00:42Guthrie told Today viewers that Hoda is here with me this morning because this is a sad morning
00:47at Today and NBC News. Guthrie also revealed that moments before they went on air,
00:51NBC News chairman Andy Lack sent a note to employees that she read to the audience in full.
00:56The memo stated that the complaint made by a Lauer colleague led to a serious review and
01:00represented a clear violation of our company's standards. Lack was quoted as saying that this
01:05was the first complaint lodged against the 59-year-old host since he took over as anchor
01:09of the show in 1997, but there was reason to believe it wasn't an isolated incident.
01:14Guthrie was close to tears as she described her feelings on the situation.
01:17For the moment, all we can say is that we are heartbroken. I'm heartbroken for Matt.
01:22He is my dear, dear friend and my partner and he is beloved by many, many people here.
01:27And I'm heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other
01:32women who have their own stories to tell.
01:34For her part, Kotb told viewers,
01:36This is a very tough morning for both of us. I've known Matt for 15 years as a friend
01:40and as a colleague. It's hard to reconcile what we're hearing with the man who we know
01:44who walks in this building every day. Guthrie added,
01:46But I do know that this reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important.
01:51It's long overdue and it must result in workplaces where all women, all people, feel safe and respected.
01:59She promised that they would be covering the stories as journalists and reporters as more details come in.
02:03Guthrie opened the 8 a.m. hour with a report from Stephanie Gosk, who reported that an NBC spokesperson
02:08said the accuser described inappropriate sexual behavior throughout 2014 and that because of
02:13the seriousness of the accusations, together with the information that it might not be
02:17an isolated incident, NBC decided to terminate Lauer's contract.
02:21The bombshell comes just over a week after rival morning show CBS This Morning host
02:25Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell announced the news of colleague Charlie Rose's termination
02:29amid sexual harassment allegations.
02:31What do you say when someone that you deeply care about has done something that is so horrible?
02:39King and O'Donnell brought up the déjà vu of the Today situation as they reported
02:43the Lauer news Wednesday morning.
02:45I look at that picture and I have a sickening feeling of déjà vu, but it does send the
02:49message and shows that you are not too big to fall.
02:52Over on ABC's Good Morning America, Robin Roberts, who was sitting between Michael
02:56Strahan and George Stephanopoulos, brought up the optics of these shows women left to deliver
03:00news of sexual misconduct about their co-workers.
03:03You can just tell that they're grappling with this because of how it's somebody that they
03:07have worked with, but how they all have spoken about the bravery of their colleagues.
03:13President Donald Trump weighed in on Twitter about the news early Wednesday morning, writing,
03:17Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.
03:22But when will the top executives at NBC and Comcast be fired for putting out so much fake news?
03:27Check out Andy Lack's past.
03:29For more coverage of this ongoing story, including Lack's full memo, head to THR.com.
03:34For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Lyndsey Rodrigues.
