And good morning everybody, welcome to “Today.”
Hoda is here with me this morning because this is a sad morning at “Today” and at NBC News.
Just moments ago, NBC News chairman Andy Lack sent the following note to our organization:
“Dear colleagues, on Monday night, we received a detailed complaint form a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer.
“It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we have decided to terminate his employment.
“While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he has been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated 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.
“We are deeply saddened by this turn of events but we will face it together as a news organization — and do it in as transparent a manner as we can.”
That is the statement from our chairman Andy Lack, and we just learned this moments ago, just this morning.
As I’m sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing all of this, and 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.
Our columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin and his Times colleagues help you make sense of major business and policy headlines — and the power-brokers who shape them.
And Hoda, I mean, you know, for the moment, all we can say is that we are heartbroken. I am heartbroken for Matt. He is my dear, dear friend and my partner and he is beloved by many, many people here.
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.
And we are grappling with a dilemma that so many people have faced these past few weeks: How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly? And I don’t know the answer to that.
But I do know that this reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important, it’s long overdue, and it must result in workplaces where all women — all people — feel safe and respected.
As painful as it is, this moment in our culture and this change, it had to happen.
HODA KOTB:
Yeah, it did. This is a very tough morning for both of us.
I have known Matt for 15 years, and I have loved him as a friend and as a colleague.
And again, just like you were saying, Savannah, it’s hard to reconcile what we are hearing with the man who we know, who walks in this building every single day.
We were both woken up with the news, kind of predawn, and we are trying to process it and make sense of it and it will take some time for that.
GUTHRIE:
Yeah. We’re processing it with all of you at home. And we promise to be transparent and be straightforward and continue this important conversation.
KOTB: Absolutely.
Two for Tuesday......
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