Katie Couric Is Over Matt Lauer, Tired Of Being Asked About His Scandal
Katie Couric is ready to move on from Matt Lauer. The former Today show anchor, who helmed the NBC morning show alongside Matt Lauer from 1997 to 2006, is reportedly tired of constantly being asked about the fallen newsman. In the months since Lauer’s firing from NBC due to alleged sexual misconduct, Katie has repeatedly been asked about the controversy. Now, an insider tells Us Weekly that Katie is done.
“She is really sick of being asked about Matt Lauer,” the source told Us.
Couric is on a press tour promoting her new NatGeo show America Inside Out With Katie Couric, and she reportedly felt “attacked” when questions about Lauer came up during a recent talk show appearance. Couric appeared on The Wendy Williams Show last week where the outspoken talk show host disagreed with some of her assessments of the allegations against Lauer.
Katie Couric previously told Us that Matt Lauer’s scandal has been “painful” for her, especially since she didn’t witness any of the behaviors that he has been accused of. Katie described the accounts she has read as “disturbing, distressing and disorienting” as well as “unacceptable.”
“I had no idea this was going on during my tenure or after I left. I think I speak for many of my former colleagues when I say this was not the Matt we knew. Matt was a kind and generous colleague who treated me with respect.”
Katie Couric says Matt Lauer allegations are often "misreported" https://t.co/51memU9C8f pic.twitter.com/2FpF0RBbrT
— Page Six (@PageSix) May 6, 2018
After Matt Lauer was fired by NBC in late November, Katie Couric waited a full two weeks to publicly address questions about it. In December, Couric responded to an Instagram follower who called her out for not commenting on the sex scandal. At the time, Couric informed the Instagram user, “It’s incredibly upsetting and I will say something when I’m ready to. Thanks for your interest.”
About a month after Lauer was canned, Katie officially broke her silence on the topic, telling People magazine she had “no idea” of her former co-anchor’s reported behavior.
“I think I speak for many of my former colleagues when I say this was not the Matt we knew,” Katie told People. “In fact, a joke I once made on late-night television was just that, because it was completely contrary to our brother-sister relationship.”
Couric was referring to a joke she made about Lauer on the Bravo late-night show Watch What Happens Live when she told host Andy Cohen that Matt’s most annoying habit was that he pinches her “on the a** a lot.”
Katie found herself repeatedly having to explain the joke in the aftermath of Lauer’s sex scandal. But after her sit down with Wendy Williams, Katie seems to be done with the explaining. Couric told Williams that she believes there has been a lot of misinformation reported about Matt Lauer’s alleged sexual misconduct and that she thinks “a lot of stuff gets misreported and blown out of proportion.”
Williams gave Couric some serious side eye when talking about the “secret button” Matt Lauer allegedly had under his desk in which he could lock his office door remotely. Katie explained that the button was a common executive perk meant for privacy.
“I don’t know what was happening, but a lot of NBC executives had those buttons that opened and closed doors. It was really just a privacy thing. I think it was just an executive perk that some people opted to have, but I don’t think it was a nefarious thing, and I think that’s been misconstrued.”
Wendy Williams warned Katie Couric that she should stop talking. And now, it appears, Katie has.
You can see Katie Couric talking about Matt Lauer on The Wendy Williams Show at the 2:15 mark in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcfxB6dh9cE&t=263s
