Matt Lauer Reportedly 'Wants To Be Relevant Again' Despite Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Nov. 19, 2017, is a date many Today viewers won’t forget because it was the day Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced that co-anchor Matt Lauer had been fired from the show. It was the middle of the #MeToo movement, and the news personality had serious sexual misconduct allegations against him while at NBC News.

It’s been almost seven years since Lauer has been out of the public eye, and now, an Us Weekly source is revealing that he’s angling for a comeback whether people like it or not. “He’s started to talk to people,” they claimed. “He’s planning his next act, still very upset with how he was portrayed, and still feels like he was the victim.” This news shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who has noticed that Page Six started peppering their site with occasional Lauer mentions — it’s almost as if his PR team was doing a soft launch back into the public eye.

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What’s infuriating with Lauer, besides reportedly believing that he was the “victim,” is that the comeback is about him wanting “to be relevant again.” He feels like “enough time has gone by,” but is anyone asking for his return? This whole alleged comeback feels more like a project for his ego rather than a meaningful return to journalism. “He went from being the biggest guy out there, and now every headline [attached to him] is ‘disgraced;’ it’s very painful for him to go out there with his girlfriend,” the insider continued while getting in a jab or two. “He’s very thin-skinned — don’t expect an apology, he’s the one who feels is owed an apology.”

Lauer rocked the news cycle when NBC News employee Brooke Nevils accused him of raping her while they were both covering the Sochi Olympics in 2014. Her revelation, and Ronan Farrow’s subsequent book on the subject, Catch and Kill, uncovered a shocking look at the culture behind the scenes at the network. Lauer has never claimed any wrongdoing, other than infidelity while he was married to his second wife, Annette Roque. He was never criminally charged, but more women came forward with allegations that showed Lauer abused his power while at the network.

It’s unclear where Lauer will land if his comeback is serious, but a podcast feels like the most obvious answer. He feels like he has more to do in the media landscape and does not want to go “off into the sunset,” but the public does not seem to be clamoring for his return.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, harassment or violence, you can get help. To speak with someone who is trained to help with these situations, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at online.rainn.org.

Before you go, click here to see celebrities who have opened up about surviving sexual assault.

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