Matt Lauer is a popular American TV presenter and news anchor. His most prominent role was that of co-host of NBC’s news and talk show The Today Show. However, his two-decade stint on The Today Show was terminated in November 2017 after several allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior were made against him.
Matt Lauer had been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior towards a colleague at work. The allegations have since been confirmed by other colleagues and a former colleague whose identities have remained hidden. Lauer’s termination was announced by his co-host Savannah Guthrie of The Today Show.
Over the course of his decade-long career, Lauer has been able to conduct several high-profile interviews, including that with Hollywood icon Tom Cruise, the Duke of Cambridge Prince William, and his younger brother Prince Harry.
Matt Lauer also co-hosted the opening ceremonies of the 2008-2016 Summer and Winter Olympics, and during the 2016 presidential campaign, Lauer conducted separate interviews with Republican candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic counterpart Hillary Clinton.
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In the face of the flood of sexual misconduct scandals that shook several industries in the U.S., Lauer added his name to the number of high-profile individuals whose careers were abruptly ended by such accusations. Not only has he lost his job, but his 19-year marriage to Annette Roque is under threat.
Bio – The Early Days of Matt Lauer Life
Matt Lauer was born in New York City on December 30, 1957. His mother, Marilyn Lauer (née Gentry), owned a clothing store. His father, Jay Robert Lauer, was of Romanian Jewish descent and the managing director of a bicycle manufacturer.
The young Lauer received his high school education at Greenwich High School in Greenwich, Connecticut. After graduating, he transferred to the Scripps College of Communication at the University of Ohio, School of Media Arts and Studies. However, Lauer discontinued his education in 1979 before he could graduate. He returned to the institution almost two decades later and graduated in 1997.
His first job after dropping out of school in 1979 was as a daily news producer for WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia. He also worked as an on-air correspondent for the evening and night news broadcasts.
He then traveled throughout the U.S. and worked as a talk show host for several local stations, including the news and entertainment television series PM Magazine in Providence. Between 1984 and 1986, Lauer was with WNEW-TV in New York. He also hosted the talk show Talk of the Town on WNEV-TV in Boston. Between 1989 and 1991 he was with WWOR-TV in Secaucus, New Jersey.
His journey with the NBC network began in 1992 when he was co-host of the WNBC morning news and entertainment show Today in New York. This spot gave him the national prominence that helped him find his way to NBC’s national organization.
Lauer joined The Today Show in 1994 and was named co-host in 1997 alongside Katie Couric. After Couric left the Today show for CBS News in 2006, Lauer worked with Meredith Vieira as co-host, followed by Ann Curry and finally Savannah Guthrie.
Is Matt Lauer Married? Wife
Matt Lauer was married twice. His first marriage was in 1982 with TV producer Nancy Alspaugh. The marriage was dissolved after 7 years.
Lauer also married former Victoria’s Secret and J. Crew model Annette Roque. After a five-month courtship, the couple sealed the marriage on October 3, 1998, at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church. They had an intimate reception on a private estate in Water Mill, New York, with only 100 guests.
Annette Roque was born in the Dutch capital Amsterdam. Her mother Johanna Struijk is Dutch, while her father Henri Roque is from Indonesia. Annette Roque moved to Paris in her early 20s to pursue a career as a model.
Divorce
Apart from an illustrious career that he built up over several years, Lauer’s inappropriate sexual activities also cost him his almost 20 years of marriage. He was first seen without his wedding ring in December 2017, a few weeks after he was fired from his job at NBC. This triggered several rumors that Lauer was indeed not well at his home.
A few weeks later, Lauer’s wife was also seen without her own wedding ring. In January 2018 it was reported that Lauer had moved out of his $33 million Hampton home. This gave more credibility to the divorce rumors that followed Matt Lauer’s marriage. It was also reported that the couple had started divorce proceedings.
It happens that Lauer’s marriage did not run smoothly, although the newsman always tries to present a “perfect father”. In 2006, his wife Annette Roque had already filed for divorce and claimed that Mauer had committed “cruel and inhuman acts” against her. However, she withdrew her papers after 3 weeks and everything became “normal” again.
About 4 years later, media reports that the Today show veteran had moved out of his family’s apartment and only visited his children on weekends. The couple vehemently denied these reports and stated that their marriage was intact.
Matt Lauer’s Kids, Family
Matt Lauer had no children from his first marriage. However, his marriage to the now estranged wife Annette Roque produced three children.
They welcomed their first son Jack Mattew in 2001, 3 years after their marriage. Two years later, in 2003, they welcomed their second child, a daughter named Romy.
In November 2006, months after Roque filed for divorce for Lauer’s alleged affair with a colleague, the couple had their last child, a son named Thijs.
Although Matt Lauer may not be the perfect colleague to have in the office, he tries to be the best father for his children. Immediately after he was fired by NBC, Lauer jumped in his car and went looking for his oldest child, Jack, so he could deliver the message personally and spare him the pain of reading it online.
Even after this scandal, which cost Lauer his job, there was speculation that the former Today host also fathered two children with two different women while married to Annette Roque. Although Matt Lauer responded to the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior with an apology, he did not respond to these other allegations.
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Matt Lauer Salary and Net Worth
Before his career was abruptly ended, Matt Lauer was one of the highest-paid news anchors on television, falling behind Ellen DeGeneres and Judge Judy. Over the course of his rather illustrious career as a media personality, he has amassed an enviable fortune.
Matt Lauer’s net worth is currently estimated at $80 million. If you’re wondering how Matt Lauer built up such a huge fortune, here’s a little breakdown.
Before 2012, Lauer had earned $17 million per year. Then came 2012, when the current host signed a 5-year contract with NBC, earning $25 million annually.
In 2016, before his 5-year contract expired, NBC renegotiated with Lauer for another 2 years, which would have earned $20 million annually until 2019. This contract was terminated when NBC terminated Lauer’s job in November 2017.
After his notorious dismissal by his longtime employers, his legal team worked diligently to get him a $30 million payout. Now, his former employers have announced that they are not willing to pay him because he violated a morals clause in his contract.
Even if Matt Lauer does not receive the rest of the value of his NBC contract, he can always rely on his $80 million fortune as he thinks about creative ways to reinvent himself.
