NBC Fires Matt Lauer

[OtterRuletheWorld]

NBC Fires Matt Lauer Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations

NBC stated this is the first complaint in over 20 years, they have reason to believe this is not an isolated event. NBC was presented with this information on Monday night and by this morning he is gone. I am guessing evidence must be very damning.
 

[Stormy]

I'm honestly scared to find out what he did. Consider how many weeks/months/years it's taken other accused men of similar caliber or less to be held accountable -- if at all -- what could Matt Lauer have possibly done to be terminated over the course of 24 hours?

[PumaLover]

I have always liked him so I was shocked to hear this! I too am wondering what he has done. I'm very curious.

[OtterRuletheWorld]

Absolutely. For NBC to state they don't think this is he only incident...that is a pretty bold statement to make given the accusation.

[formergothardite]

11 minutes ago, Stormy said:

I'm honestly scared to find out what he did. Consider how many weeks/months/years it's taken other accused men of similar caliber or less to be held accountable -- if at all -- what could Matt Lauer have possibly done to be terminated over the course of 24 hours?

I think it is probably bad, but I think what helps is that the entertainment/news business has finally decided(or was forced) to no longer turn a blind eye to sexual harassment. Now if this could spill over to politics it would be great. It is  beyond ridiculous that Billy Bush lost his job while Trump got to rule our country. 

[OtterRuletheWorld]

5 minutes ago, PumaLover said:

I have always liked him so I was shocked to hear this! I too am wondering what he has done. I'm very curious.

I think it has always been known he is a jerk, so I wasn't entirely shocked. His current wife once filed for divorce stating "cruel and inhumane" treatment, but later withdrew. There was the Ann Curry thing, him demanding helicopter rides, him demanding big stories...

[keen23]

I think we're in the middle of a culture change, and finally some men are getting their comeuppance. It's been a long time in the making.

[OtterRuletheWorld]

I think it is probably bad, but I think what helps is that the entertainment/news business has finally decided(or was forced) to no longer turn a blind eye to sexual harassment. Now if this could spill over to politics it would be great. It is  beyond ridiculous that Billy Bush lost his job while Trump got to rule our country. 

Interestingly, Billy Bush was not well liked by Lauer (or Roker, If my memory serves me correctly) There was a whole drama between Bush, Lauer And the Olympics.

[OtterRuletheWorld]

 

[Maggie Mae]

I read that he had a button under his desk that let him lock his door without getting up - so he could harass people without being walked in on. Gross. 

[Georgiana]

4 hours ago, keen23 said:

I think we're in the middle of a culture change, and finally some men are getting their comeuppance. It's been a long time in the making.

I think so too.  I'll be honest: never in my life did I realize what a profound disadvantage it was to be born a woman until after this last election.  And it really made me take a long, hard look at my life in a way I never had before. And I did not like what I saw.  And I got angry.

When this country elected Trump, it sent a CLEAR message to the women of this country.  And now, the women are sending one back.  

Hell hath no fury like a country of women scorned.  Our foremothers burned their bras, but we will burn our assailants themselves.  

[December]

5 hours ago, Stormy said:

I'm honestly scared to find out what he did. Consider how many weeks/months/years it's taken other accused men of similar caliber or less to be held accountable -- if at all -- what could Matt Lauer have possibly done to be terminated over the course of 24 hours?

I'm wondering this, as well. Hopefully, it just means the entertainment industry is taking these accusations more seriously and becoming less hesitant to take action when they have evidence of misconduct.

[JenniferJuniper]

I'm beginning to think that maybe men should stay home and out of the workforce.  Clean the house and make sammiches for us normal people.

10 minutes ago, Georgiana said:

I think so too.  I'll be honest: never in my life did I realize what a profound disadvantage it was to be born a woman until after this last election. 

I joined the workforce in the mid 80's.  Sexual harassment and (sometimes assault) was a constant for myself and all of my female colleagues up until the late 90's when (larger) companies starting taking the employment practices liability situation seriously.  But basically if you wanted to keep your job, you put up with it. I have no doubt that it is still a daily problem for many women though.  The stories we could tell.....

I'm a little surprised at the celebrity extent of it but these men aren't working normal jobs.  They have been treated as - and clearly believed themselves to be - very special boys. 

[Georgiana]

19 minutes ago, JenniferJuniper said:

I'm beginning to think that maybe men should stay home and out of the workforce.  Clean the house and make sammiches for us normal people.

I joined the workforce in the mid 80's.  Sexual harassment and (sometimes assault) was a constant for myself and all of my female colleagues up until the late 90's when (larger) companies starting taking the employment practices liability situation seriously.  But basically if you wanted to keep your job, you put up with it. I have no doubt that it is still a daily problem for many women though.  The stories we could tell.....

I'm a little surprised at the celebrity extent of it but these men aren't working normal jobs.  They have been treated as - and clearly believed themselves to be - very special boys. 

I'm so sorry you had to go through this.  Growing up, I always admired the strength of women who persevered in the workforce despite the attempts to make the office a hostile and demeaning place for women.   I truly admire you, and I hope that I can continue the legacy and the fight even in my small way.

[formergothardite]

http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/matt-lauer-accused-sexual-harassment-multiple-women-1202625959/

Quote

 

The cause of his dismissal, according to sources, was a detailed complaint from another current NBC employee about inappropriate sexual conduct from Lauer that started on a trip at the Sochi Olympics in 2014 and continued for several months.

The employee met with human resources at NBC on Monday night. In a statement, NBC News Chairman Andy Lack called this the first complaint about his behavior in over 20 years and acknowledged that it may not be the last: “We were also presented with reason to believe that this may not have been an isolated incident,” Lack said.

Several women told Variety they complained to executives at the network about Lauer’s behavior, which fell on deaf ears given the lucrative advertising surrounding “Today.” NBC declined to comment. For most of Lauer’s tenure at “Today,” the morning news show was No. 1 in the ratings, and executives were eager to keep him happy.

 

It sounds like he was just an all around pervert and the network let him get away with it because he brought in money. It also sounds like the era where these sorts of men are protected is coming to an end. 

[JenniferJuniper]

27 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

It sounds like he was just an all around pervert and the network let him get away with it because he brought in money. It also sounds like the era where these sorts of men are protected is coming to an end. 

Gosh, I hope so, but with Trump in office and all of the anti-women crap the Republicans are working on, my fear is that after the purge we'll continue to head backwards.  

Women truly need to stick together.  Vote, run for local office, speak up!

[OtterRuletheWorld]

50 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

http://variety.com/2017/biz/news/matt-lauer-accused-sexual-harassment-multiple-women-1202625959/

It sounds like he was just an all around pervert and the network let him get away with it because he brought in money. It also sounds like the era where these sorts of men are protected is coming to an end. 

For anyone who wants to read the above link, it is pretty disturbing.  The fact that this has been ignored is even more disturbing. It is really scary what someone can do with so much power and when that power is no longer enough.

1 hour ago, Georgiana said:

I think so too.  I'll be honest: never in my life did I realize what a profound disadvantage it was to be born a woman until after this last election.  And it really made me take a long, hard look at my life in a way I never had before. And I did not like what I saw.  And I got angry.

When this country elected Trump, it sent a CLEAR message to the women of this country.  And now, the women are sending one back.  

Hell hath no fury like a country of women scorned.  Our foremothers burned their bras, but we will burn our assailants themselves.  

To be fair, this isn't limited to the United States.  In particular, with powerful people (men).

[JenniferJuniper]

59 minutes ago, OtterRuletheWorld said:

To be fair, this isn't limited to the United States.  In particular, with powerful people (men).

Very true, but often it's not particularly powerful men in the real world.  Just men with enough power to make your life miserable if you speak up don't go along.

I remember in the earliest days of my career having a low level position reporting to a low level manager who said to me upon my return from a trip to visit family several states away, "So, how much of a little slut were you?  Tell me about every guy you slept with.  Now."

And he was gay.  I was even sexually harassed by a gay man.   Because he could.  

[formergothardite]

1 hour ago, OtterRuletheWorld said:

To be fair, this isn't limited to the United States. 

It isn't, but you have to admit it is fairly disheartening to see a guy brag about sexually assaulting women, be accusing by multiple women of sexual assault and be accused of sex with a minor get elected president of the United States. It is pretty damn depressing that so many people in this country are willing to vote for a guy like that for (fill in the blank reasons that Trump voters came up with to vote for a sexual predator). 

 

2 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Gosh, I hope so, but with Trump in office and all of the anti-women crap the Republicans are working on, my fear is that after the purge we'll continue to head backwards.  

Women truly need to stick together.  Vote, run for local office, speak up!

Trump and the Republicans are on a frantic quest to try and push down women and minorities because they know the time of the Straight White Guy Oppressing Everyone is coming to an end. They are going to try hard to do as much damage as possible, but I think we will eventually be able to overcome them. And hopefully as a country we can learn from this. No more excuses for sexual predators, no matter what they promise us. 

[OtterRuletheWorld]

27 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

It isn't, but you have to admit it is fairly disheartening to see a guy brag about sexually assaulting women, be accusing by multiple women of sexual assault and be accused of sex with a minor get elected president of the United States. It is pretty damn depressing that so many people in this country are willing to vote for a guy like that for (fill in the blank reasons that Trump voters came up with to vote for a sexual predator).

Well, to be fair, the evidence you are referring to was a video of him saying they "let him" so while I don't think it is a nice thing to say, no woman came forward with that info, it was a tape released. Damning, yes, vulgar, yes. He didn't say he forced himself on anyone. The accusations aren't the rule of law, so I think you run into the issue of believing the victim and innocent until proven guilty. Just stating facts here and the judicial system in America is what it is, for better or worse and that tends to fall into how people judge things. Clearly what Trump said was vulgar. We all heard the tape, but when I heard there was a tape and then actually heard the tape, I admittedly believed it was over for him until I actually heard the full tape myself.

Still, this is not the first US President to have a sex scandal or be known for being a womanizer. He is also not the first world leader to be involved in a sex scandal. Sex scandals are often just that, men in power abusing those he has power over.

The fact that this is coming out about a lot of powerful men is good. If anything, I hope men in power think twice about how they behave for fear of someone ousting them. More and more victims are coming forward and some will have evidence. However, if Matt Lauer was sending photos to some, I have to wonder if he actually cared that much about getting caught. 

32 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

Trump and the Republicans are on a frantic quest to try and push down women and minorities because they know the time of the Straight White Guy Oppressing Everyone is coming to an end. They are going to try hard to do as much damage as possible, but I think we will eventually be able to overcome them. And hopefully as a country we can learn from this. No more excuses for sexual predators, no matter what they promise us. 

Recent accusations have been against a gay man and a black man.

[Briefly]

3 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

I'm beginning to think that maybe men should stay home and out of the workforce.  Clean the house and make sammiches for us normal people.

I joined the workforce in the mid 80's.  Sexual harassment and (sometimes assault) was a constant for myself and all of my female colleagues up until the late 90's when (larger) companies starting taking the employment practices liability situation seriously.  But basically if you wanted to keep your job, you put up with it. I have no doubt that it is still a daily problem for many women though.  The stories we could tell.....

I'm a little surprised at the celebrity extent of it but these men aren't working normal jobs.  They have been treated as - and clearly believed themselves to be - very special boys. 

I joined the workforce in the early 80's and it was really bad at times.  I worked for a state agency, I was 18 when I started working right out of high school.  I have been force-kissed, force-groped, pushed against the wall and been told that that's "just normal and I should just put up with it."  I was having a lot of emotional issues at the time, I was insecure and really unsure of a lot of things and then that just made it harder.  

I eventually learned to speak up.  That was over 25 years ago and it makes me sick that it's still happening.  The culture seems to be going backwards in that things like that are happening more - it may be just be that we're hearing about it more because women are finally speaking out.  I applaud everyone who does speak up.

By the way, I'm currently the breadwinner for us.  My husband was laid off in April of 2016 and unable to find a job so our part-time home-based business has become his job now.  It doesn't make a lot, but it's been making enough.  He does do a lot of the housework while I'm at my job during the day, I know how blessed I am in that regard!

[nastyhobbitses]

Is it weird that I'm a little happy/smug because I've fucking loathed Matt Lauer and his smug punchable asshole face for years and now my hatred of him is completely justified (i.e. it's not just "I think he seems a douche" anymore)? 

[church_of_dog]

1 hour ago, OtterRuletheWorld said:

Well, to be fair, the evidence you are referring to was a video of him saying they "let him" so while I don't think it is a nice thing to say, no woman came forward with that info, it was a tape released. Damning, yes, vulgar, yes. He didn't say he forced himself on anyone.

Yeah, no.  The whole conversation happening re all the celebrities is the idea that even though the victims were adults and there was [in most of these cases] no physical force, it was still unconsensual because of the power difference between them.  So many women saying they didn't feel comfortable objecting for fear of losing their job...

1 hour ago, OtterRuletheWorld said:

The accusations aren't the rule of law, so I think you run into the issue of believing the victim and innocent until proven guilty. 

Nope again.  There is no conflict between these two.  "Believe the victims" does not mean blind-faith-end-of-story.  It means don't dismiss them; take them seriously; investigate.

And "innocent until proven guilty" is not a cultural more, it applies only to the legal process.  Everyone is technically innocent until proven guilty -- so how does anyone ever get convicted/proven guilty?  By the justice system taking the victims seriously enough to conduct proper investigations.

[GrumpyGran]

Just wandering in to say that my response was "What took so long?" He has had a bad reputation for a while, certain women being fired or moved because of him. At the least he's a sexist bully. But I think it is much worse than that. I hear that the wife won't live with him.

[nastyhobbitses]

6 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

Just wandering in to say that my response was "What took so long?" He has had a bad reputation for a while, certain women being fired or moved because of him. At the least he's a sexist bully. But I think it is much worse than that. I hear that the wife won't live with him.

She filed for divorce 11 years ago but withdrew it. Dig those papers out again, Annette!

I'd say "fuck Matt Lauer", but he doesn't deserve the pleasure of fucking, seeing how he ruined it for other people.