There are many people who called Matt Lauer a friend, particularly those on Today, who felt betrayed by the recent revelations about his behavior that some are calling sexual harassment, but comedian Denis Leary is saying that he always has the sense that Matt Lauer was a creep. Leary says it’s been almost a decade since he allowed Lauer to interview him on Today or for NBC , and said he told his publicist that he preferred to talk with one of the women on the show.
And it sounds like Denis Leary might have been onto something, as the behavior of Matt Lauer has upset the balance at Today and for Lauer’s wife Annette and their three children, not to mention the women who say they were victimized by Lauer. On the day the story broke of the Matt Lauer scandal, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb had to make the announcement that Lauer was no longer an employee of NBC.
“On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over 20 years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.”
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Denis Leary says that after getting a creepy, smarmy vibe from Matt Lauer, Leary decided to keep his distance, says Page Six .
“I thought he was a creepy, douchey guy from the get-go.”
Leary explained his aversion to Matt Lauer to the ladies on The Talk today, saying that even though Lauer was the anchor, he decided to keep his distance.
“I stopped being interviewed by him on the Today show about 10 years ago because he was so creepy. He never made a move on me … but you get a vibe. I just got a weird, weasel-y vibe from the guy. And I said to my publicist … I don’t want to be interviewed by him anymore. I want to be interviewed by the girls.”
Denis Leary says that he was happy to talk to nearly everyone else on Today , including Natalie Morales, Al Roker, Willie Geist, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Hoda Kotb. Leary says he thinks that most people deserve a second chance, but Leary says that Matt Lauer’s behavior was over the line.
“When you have a button under your desk to lock women into your office, you know what? Screw you.”
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And Denis Leary isn’t the only comedian who thinks Matt Lauer is a creep . In addition to Denis Leary, Samantha Bee thought it was a sign that Matt Lauer was rude to Hillary Clinton when he interviewed her during the election, reported USA Today .
“You can’t just interrupt women from talking like that, Matt. What do you think this is, every business meeting ever?”