It has been five years since Matt Lauer was fired from the Today Show after being accused of "inappropriate sexual behavior" by a female employee at NBC. Since then, Lauer has been flying under the radar, possibly in hopes that one day the blowback from the allegations would finally pass and he would be an employable entity again. But it appears that the former news show host has been tempted of late to test the waters.
First, it was with writing announcing he was writing a memoir, and now with putting his journalistic hat back on. Both of these seemingly stemmed from Lauer thinking that the worst of the character assassinations thrown in his direction over the years have come to an end.
Is Matt Lauer Returning To Television?
The recent news that Lauer wants to be involved in journalism and perhaps even return to television again in some aspect again is not new.
There have been reports over the past few years that the disgraced news anchor has just been looking for the right avenue with which to return and that he has been "clamoring for a comeback."
As a result of other women stepping forward to make similar allegations to the original accuser or women stating that they too had a relationship with Lauer while he was married, there has not appeared to be a right time for Lauer to try to step back into the limelight.
But, with no news as of late and Lauer appearing to walk the straight and narrow with his new girlfriend, Shamin Abas, a comeback attempt may just be on the horizon.
Is Matt Lauer Returning To Television?
Lauer has not made any headlines, good or bad, in the last year or more. A fact that bodes well for the potential for audiences to forget or forgive what Lauer has been accused of.
But, that is not the main reason why the former NBC employee seems to believe that now is a good time for a comeback. The reason, interestingly enough, lies with a woman. And that woman is Megyn Kelly.
Kelly hosted her own talk show on NBC for one year. While the ratings were not stellar, that was not what caused the show to be abruptly canceled. The reason it was canceled was because of the controversial comments Kelly made stating that it was appropriate for white people to dress up in blackface for Halloween.
After Megyn Kelly Today ended, many thought that Kelly was done hosting any sort of news or entertainment shows from that point forward.
However, not only was Kelly able to start her own production company, but she also started a podcast. And while it has had its controversial comments, it has been very successful, helping Kelly add to her massive net worth.
Seeing the success that Kelly has had, has apparently given Lauer some confidence that he too may be welcomed back by his former audience. This is because Kelly "reinvented herself on her own terms."
Sources suggest that Lauer thinks if he plays his cards right, he may be able to do the same.
Will Anyone Hire Matt Lauer Now?
To think that Lauer would be able to return to mainstream television is a bit of a stretch. After all, the money to keep shows running comes from advertisers.
There are not many advertisers who want their companies tied to a person who has been accused of assault.
But, that does not mean there are no other avenues Lauer could take to pursue his comeback in journalism, both in front and behind the camera.
Just because advertisers may not want to get on board to help finance a project, Lauer could do just like Kelly did and create his own production company. This way, Lauer could use the company to get projects he is passionate about launched and even make money by backing other people's films or television specials or series in the future.
Lauer could also create a podcast to jump back into the world of journalism, a move that insiders call the "most likely next step."
If a podcast proves to gain a following, advertisers are going to have no choice but to jump on the bandwagon. And if this happens, a comeback may just be possible for Lauer.
Critics Want Matt Lauer To Stay Canceled
With all the speculation about when and how Lauer will make his comeback, there are many critics who want him to stay canceled and they are not afraid to voice their opinions about the matter.
"I'm all for letting slide minor cancel culture cases," one Reddit user stated. "This dude was/is way too serious of a scumbag to make an actual comeback."
Another user said, "No thanks, no one is interested in a fake apology from this scumbag so he can get back on TV. Not everyone has amnesia."
"Please don’t. You’ve had your time on screen for decades, and we all know how that ended. Crawl back under the rock from whence you came, Matt!" a third Reddit user exclaimed.
These are just a few of the nearly 200 comments made by people who do not want Lauer to make a comeback.
Interspersed with these comments are questions about how he is not in jail and whether the desire for a comeback is based on the fact that Lauer has blown through all of his money, which is a sum that was quite impressive given his years on Today.
Regardless of what the underlying desire is to want to become a relevant part of the journalistic world again, Lauer is going to have a massive hill to climb to make that happen.
If this cross-section of society is any indication of the reception he will receive, Lauer may just want to wait a bit longer before any attempts to win over his former audience.
