"For [Matt] Lauer, work and sex were intertwined," states
Variety in an exclusive report that follows a two-month investigation into the co-host of NBC's
Today, who was fired Wednesday over
complaints of sexual misconduct during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Lauer "was fixated on women, especially their bodies and looks," dozens of current and former NBC employees say. Three women tell
Variety they were sexually harassed by Lauer, and their stories were corroborated. He kept it "within his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn’t ever complain," a former producer says. Several women say they did complain to NBC executives but were ignored. “They protected the s— out of Matt Lauer,” a former reporter says. Here's more from the
Variety report: