The former anchor of NBC's 'Today' show admits in a lengthy open letter that he had an affair with Brooke Nevils but claims to never force himself on her.
- October 10, 2019
AceShowbiz - Matt Lauer broke his silence on the allegation that he raped former NBC employee Brooke Nevils. The embattled TV star dismissed the accusation in a lengthy open letter, admitting that he was involved in an affair with Nevils but insisting that every sex they had was consensual.
The father of three claimed that he had stayed quiet ever since his departure from the Peacock's morning show because he wanted privacy as he focused "on repairing my relationship with the people I love." "But my silence has been a mistake," so the 61-year-old anchor said.
Referring to Ronan Farrow's book, Lauer stated, "In a new book, it is alleged that an extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter I have previously admitted having, was in fact an assault. It is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense."
"I had an extramarital affair with Brooke Nevils in 2014," the former "Today" host told his side of story. "It began when she came to my hotel room very late one night in Sochi, Russia. We engaged in a variety of sexual acts. Each act was mutual and completely consensual."
After their encounter in Russia, Lauer claimed Nevils continued to communicate with him "by text and by phone." He said, "We met for drinks, and she met me at my apartment on multiple occasions to continue our affair. Our meetings were arranged mutually. At no time, during or after her multiple visits to my apartment, did she express in words or actions any discomfort with being there, or with our affair."
According to Lauer, they also had sex in his dressing room at work. "It showed terrible judgment on my part," he admitted before adding, "but it was completely mutual and consensual."
He then scoffed at her claim that he had control over her career and she felt pressured by him. "I had no role in reviewing Brooke's work," he said. "She did not work for me, the Today Show, or NBC News." The anchor explained, "She worked for Meredith Vieira (who had not worked for the Today Show in several years) in a completely different part of the network."
On why Nevils came up with such accusation, Lauer suggested she was upset and hurt because he abruptly ended their affair and remained indifferent when she pursued him to rekindle their relationship. "I admit, I ended the affair poorly. I simply stopped communicating with her. Brooke continued to reach out," he said.
