A bombshell report by Variety Magazine details its findings of a months-long investigation into ousted TODAY co-host Matt Lauer. Reporters spoke to multiple women and unidentified NBC News staffers about behavior they said was covered up because of Lauer's position as the 'franchise' member of the morning show team.

Newly uncovered allegations include an incident in which Lauer exposed his genitals in his office and used his position to get close to junior members of the staff. Another woman who spoke to Variety reporters said Lauer gave her a sex toy as a gift with a suggestive note. Writers say his office was in a secluded part of the NBC News offices at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York's Midtown Manhattan.

The alleged incidents reportedly ramped up after the departure of Katie Couric in 2006. Lauer became the senior member of the Today show team and wielded a ton of editorial power when it came to story selection. According to Variety, incidents were also common on field assignments and during Olympic coverage. One accuser said that Lauer even joked that his wife traveled with him to the Olympic Games in London to keep an eye on him.

If you're even an occasional morning show viewer, you will probably remember the awkward farewell to fellow TODAY veteran Anne Curry. Publicly, she "moved on" from the show, but rumors have long swirled about the off-air strife between Curry and Lauer. Now, people are going back to the exchange to re-watch in light of today's firing.

Matt Lauer has not yet responded to the Variety story. He was officially relieved of his duties at NBC News effective on Wednesday, November 29th. His co-host Savannah Guthrie was only told shortly before today's broadcast that he had been let go.

See the full video of the way they handled the news on the air.

 

 

 

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