Inside Matt Lauer’s Marriage: Wife Once Filed For Divorce, Accused Him Of ‘Cruel, Inhumane’ Acts

Matt Lauer’s ousting from The Today Show brought forward a lot of secrets from his disturbing personal life. Apparently, the shamed news anchor has been leading a difficult marriage with Annette Roque, his wife of almost 20 years.

Matt Lauer was recently fired from Today due to accusations of “inappropriate sexual behavior.” But years before his first alleged victim came out, Matt’s wife may have been aware of his misconducts, as she herself cited several complaints against him in the past.

Annette Roque, a former Dutch model, married Matt Lauer in 1998 after only a year of dating. They have three children together. Eight years into their marriage, Annette already wanted out. The New York Daily News reported that Annette Roque filed for a divorce in 2006.

According to Business Insider, Annette cited that she suffered “cruel and inhumane” acts from the award-winning anchor beginning 2001. These include “mental abuse, extreme mental and emotional distress, humiliation, torment, and anxiety” as listed in the divorce documents. Additionally, the former model also stated that Matt Lauer was a controlling husband who kept her in a tight reign for “even the smallest decisions.”

The conduct of defendant [Lauer] so endangers the physical and mental well-being of the plaintiff [Roque] so as to render it unsafe and improper for plaintiff to cohabit with defendant.

At the time of the filing, Annette was pregnant with their third child. The two later reconciled and Annette withdrew the divorce papers.

However, Radar Online reported that Matt and Annette’s reconciliation was only for show. According to insiders, NBC did not want Matt to divorce his wife to preserve his good image. But behind the cameras, Matt and Annette’s marriage is almost non-existent. Aside from what was listed on their divorce papers, the 59-year-old news personality has also been unfaithful to his wife many times, sources revealed.

After their reconciliation in 2006, Annette finally kicked him out in 2014. Currently, the two are said to be living apart from each other while trying to be civil for the sake of their kids. Matt Lauer is living in an apartment in New York, while Annette and their three children stay in their family home in Long Island.

Matt Lauer has been with NBC’s Today show since 1997. Throughout his career of more than four decades, the American journalist has won many awards, including seven Emmys.