Matt Lauer

Matthew Todd Lauer, born December 30, 1957, in New York City, is a former American television news personality best known for his long tenure with NBC News. The son of Marilyn Lauer, a boutique owner, and Jay Robert Lauer, a bicycle company executive, he was raised without a specific religious affiliation. Lauer attended the Scripps College of Communication School of Media Arts and Studies at Ohio University, dropping out in 1979 to begin his broadcasting career before later completing his undergraduate degree in 1997.

Lauer began his television career in 1979 as a noon newscast producer at WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia, becoming an on-air reporter by 1980. Over the following decade, he hosted several daily information and talk programs along the East Coast. He served as co-host of PM Magazine in Richmond, Providence, and New York City, and later worked on Made in New York for WNYW. Lauer received his first national exposure co-hosting ABC's daytime series Fame, Fortune and Romance alongside Robin Leach. He subsequently hosted local shows in Philadelphia and Boston, reported for ESPN, anchored entertainment segments for HBO, and hosted WWOR's live interview show 9 Broadcast Plaza. From 1988 to 1997, he was also the primary host of Cinemax's interstitial program Beyond the Screen.

During the early 1990s, Lauer hosted the NBC series Trial Watch, filmed a pilot for the World Bodybuilding Federation, and co-hosted the Travel Channel series Etc., Etc. He joined NBC's New York flagship station WNBC in 1992, co-anchoring Today in New York and Live at Five. His presence led to opportunities with NBC News, where he served as a substitute newsreader on Today. He joined Today full-time as a news anchor in January 1994 while also substituting on Weekend Today, NBC News at Sunrise, and NBC Nightly News. On January 6, 1997, Lauer officially succeeded Bryant Gumbel as co-anchor of Today.

Lauer co-anchored Today from 1997 to 2017. During his tenure, he contributed to Dateline NBC, hosted programs for MSNBC and Discovery Channel, and embarked on the annual travel series Where in the World is Matt Lauer? from 1998 to 2011. He conducted high-profile interviews with figures including Tom Cruise, Prince William, Prince Harry, Charlie Sheen, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump. Between 1998 and 2017, Lauer co-hosted NBC's live coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He also co-hosted the opening ceremonies of five Olympic Games between 2008 and 2016. Outside news broadcasting, Lauer made guest appearances as himself in television shows such as 30 Rock and Will & Grace, as well as films including Land of the Lost and The Beaver.

In November 2017, NBC News terminated Lauer's employment after receiving a detailed complaint from a colleague regarding inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Following his termination, additional workplace misconduct allegations were reported, and Lauer issued a public statement apologizing for his actions while disputing certain aspects of the claims.