In the light of some horrifying allegations of sexual assault and harassment, Matt Lauer was removed from his position at NBC and fired from Today. As more and more accusers come forward, Lauer has removed himself from the public eye, releasing an apology statement and deleting his social media.
Lauer previously earned $20 million a year with NBC, and somehow believes that despite his predatory behavior, he is still entitled to the remainder of his contract, which was supposed to run through 2018. According to Deadline, although Lauer accepted his termination without fighting back, his team is expected to try to negotiate with NBC so that Lauer can receive the remaining $30 million of his contract.
However, NBC is pushing back, saying that the contract is void because Lauer was fired “with cause,” a.k.a. “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” The Hollywood Reporter claims that because of morality clauses in the contract, NBC will not have to shell out the desired millions. Lauer’s official last day was Tuesday, and according to a network source, that will also be his final day collecting a check from NBC.
Lauer may have been a seemingly essential cog in Today, but if we’ve learned anything from the flood of allegations wiping the slates clean, no one is irreplaceable.
(Via Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter)