NBC says current management didn't know of Lauer misconduct
'MediaBuzz' host Howard Kurtz explains on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
In a video unearthed by TMZ on Wednesday, former NBC News star Matt Lauer is seen and heard on camera whispering inappropriate comments to his then-co-anchor Meredith Vieira.
“Keep bending over like that, it’s a nice view,” Lauer told Vieira on the set of "The Today Show," reportedly in October 2006.
The comments from Lauer, according to TMZ, were made when the NBC morning show cut to commercial — however, a local affiliate kept the show live on air with the network’s in-studio camera feed.
Lauer's co-anchor in the video was initially identified as Katie Couric.
TMZ had posted another video earlier on Wednesday in which Couric, during a 2012 appearance on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live," said Lauer “pinches me on the ass a lot.”
Lauer was swiftly fired from NBC on Wednesday for engaging in “inappropriate sexual behavior,” the details of which were explained to executives on Monday night by an employee who claimed the alleged incident took place in 2014 at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
MATT LAUER'S FIRING FROM NBC UNLEASHES TWITTER TORRENT
In a statement, NBC News claimed that the complaint was the first they received about inappropriate behavior from Lauer, but did note the company had "reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."
A bombshell report by Variety released Wednesday afternoon alleges Lauer had previously sexually harassed female employees throughout his tenure at the network.
Lauer reportedly lured an employee into his office — which Variety wrote included a button underneath his desk designed to close his office door for privacy — and exposed his penis to her. He also reportedly gave a sex toy as a gift and played the game “f--ck, marry or kill” with women and men at work.
Lauer has not yet made a statement regarding the allegations or on his firing from NBC.
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