Matt Lauer is responding to allegations from a former junior colleague of his, who has accused him of raping her in his hotel room during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Brooke Nevils told journalist Ronan Farrow for his forthcoming book, Catch and Kill that the former Today show host forced anal sex on her without her consent in his hotel room.
On Wednesday, Lauer sent an open letter to news outlets in which he denied wrongdoing and said his previous silence “has been a mistake.” Lauer said: “Today, nearly two years after I was fired by NBC, old stories are being recycled, titillating details are being added, and a dangerous and defamatory new allegation is being made. All are being spread as part of a promotional effort to sell a book. It’s outrageous.”
It was Nevils’ complaint that ultimately led to Lauer’s firing in 2017. Until now, the accuser’s identity and her specific allegation of rape had not been publicly known.
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