Years after losing his spot as one of the leading morning show hosts, Matt Lauer is staying silent no more. Once the face of NBC’s Today show alongside longtime co-host Katie Couric, it certainly seemed like Lauer could do no wrong. He was easily one of the most recognizable faces of morning television, and he was paid well for it (at least $20 million a year, according to reports).But then, Lauer got caught in controversy and NBC later made the decision to fire him. Since then, he has laid low (even making his way to the other side of the world). In recent years, however, the disgraced host has made it clear that he’s ready to tell his story through an upcoming tell-all memoir.
Matt Lauer Has Started To Speak Out Recently
Back in 2017, Today hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb made the shocking announcement that NBC decided to terminate Lauer from the network after it received a “detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace” by Lauer.
This colleague was later revealed to be Brooke Nevils who accused the former Today host of rape.
The statement also emphasized that the accusation “may not have been an isolated incident” and soon enough, more came forward with claims against Lauer.
These include three women who anonymously came forward and former Today production assistant Addie Collins who revealed that she had an affair with Lauer and that the former host took advantage of his power and position to pursue her.
And while Lauer mainly stayed silent through it all, he released an open letter following the publishing of Ronan Farrow’s book, Catch and Kill, wherein Nevils detailed her alleged experience with Lauer, along with former Today producer Melissa Lonner who claimed that Lauer exposed himself to her and that NBC silenced her when she left the company.
In response, Lauer wrote, “Despite my desire to set the record straight and confront the individuals making false allegations, I wanted nothing less than to create more headlines my kids would read and a new gathering of photographers at the end of our driveway. So I decided to just stay quiet and work on repairing my relationship with the people I love. It has been the most important full-time job I have ever had.”
He added, “But my silence has been a mistake.”
Lauer then addressed the claims regarding Nevils, saying, “This encounter, which she now falsely claims was an assault, was the beginning of our affair.”
The former host also went on to provide details of how the affair was carried out while also later admitting that he “ended the affair poorly. I simply stopped communicating with her. Brooke continued to reach out.”
Coincidentally, Lauer also further called out Nevils, accusing her of making such claims for the sake of selling a memoir.
“After Brooke filed her complaint in late 2017, her attorney publicly insisted she wanted to remain anonymous,” he further wrote.
“He said she just wanted NBC to 'do the right thing.' But within a year she was reportedly out trying to sell a book. And it appears that she also sought a monetary payment from NBC.”
Years After His Scandal, Matt Lauer Is Opening Up In A Tell-All Book
Lauer may have written quite an extensive open letter to address issues surrounding him, but it seems that was just the beginning.
A recent report has claimed that the former morning show host is now working on a tell-all book as enough time has already passed.
“For the past five years, Matt's kept his head down, but now thinks the dust has settled and it's time to get even with everyone who threw him under the bus," an insider said.
“He's been plotting how he should do this book, and it will be balanced between trying to emphasize all of the good he's done while exacting revenge against others.”
The people that Lauer is reportedly looking to exact revenge on include Couric and other former Today co-hosts such as Guthrie and Kotb.
The insider also added, “He knows he has little chance of a TV comeback, so he's really got nothing to lose.”
Would Anyone Buy Matt Lauer’s Book?
Despite his scandalous past, it would seem reasonable to assume that Lauer’s memoir would have some substantial sales the moment it reaches the bookshelves.
That’s because celebrity memoirs tend to attract some buyers, although the memoir market itself may seem saturated at the moment.
On the other hand, the motivation for Lauer to launch a memoir is also quite understandable. Tell-all books tend to be one of the most lucrative as far as contracts go. For instance, it was announced back in February that Britney Spears signed a $15-million deal with Simon & Schuster publishing house for a tell-all memoir that details the singer’s career, family, and other aspects of her life.
Meanwhile, in the past, former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama inked a $65-million deal for their respective memoirs, A Promised Land and Becoming. And several years back, Amy Schumer was paid $9 million for her memoir The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo while Bruce Springsteen received $10 million for his book Born to Run.
As for Lauer, no further details about his memoir have been released so far.
