NBC Shocker: Matt Lauer Fired Over Sexual Misconduct Claim

Another stunner involving sexual misconduct: NBC has fired longtime Today anchor Matt Lauer over "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace," per a statement from NBC News Chairman Andy Lack. Details about the allegation weren't immediately available, but the network received the complaint just this week. Co-host Savannah Guthrie read the statement on the air Wednesday, reports the Washington Post. Lack's memo says the complaint was the first lodged against the 59-year-old Lauer, but "we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated" incident.

"We are heartbroken," said Guthrie, who was accompanied by Hoda Kotb, per NBC's own coverage. Lauer began anchoring the morning show in 1997. Kotb said she "loved him as a friend and a colleague," adding that it was "hard to reconcile the man who walks in every day" with the man described in the complaint. In a tweet, the show said it received the "detailed complaint from a colleague" on Monday night and fired Lauer after looking into it. At CNN, media writer Brian Stelter observes that the move "removes one of the most recognizable personalities on television, and at a time when morning news programs are increasingly important to network news divisions." (More Matt Lauer stories.)