Matt Lauer's ex-wife breaks her silence as Ronan Farrow claims to have uncovered more allegations
As new details of Ronan Farrow’s book, Catch and Kill, come out, Matt Lauer’s ex-wife has broken her silence.
“In response to your inquiry, our client has asked us to tell you that now that the parties are officially divorced, her priority and only concern is for their wonderful children,” Annette Roque’s lawyer, John M. Teitler, told People magazine. “Our client will make no further statements.”
This marks Roque’s first public statement about Lauer in the nearly two years since he was fired from NBC for “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” The pair, who married in 1998 and have three children, separated soon after he was terminated. She filed for divorce in July and it was finalized in September. (Their marital troubles began years earlier, as Roque reportedly filed for divorce in 1998, alleging “cruel and inhumane” acts, only to withdraw the documents soon after.)
On Wednesday, Lauer wrote an open letter denying an allegation made by former NBC News producer Brooke Nevils that the Today host anally raped her in a hotel room while they were covering the 2014 Sochi Olympics. He said any suggestion of nonconsensual sex was “categorically false.” He said they had an “extramarital affair” and suggested Nevils became upset after he lost interest. Nevils slammed Lauer’s open letter, accusing him of “victim blaming.”
In addition to Rogue speaking out, so is Farrow. In his first interview about the book, given to The Hollywood Reporter, he claims he uncovered seven allegations of workplace sexual misconduct in total by Lauer — as well as seven non-disclosure agreements. Several of those included “hush-money payouts” to accusers, according to the report. Farrow spoke to some of Lauer’s accusers — including Nevils — for his book, which comes out Oct. 15.
An NBC spokesperson disputes that, however, via the Today on Thursday. They say they reached agreements with two women who alleged workplace sexual misconduct by Lauer. They added that neither of those women has a non-disclosure agreement, meaning they are free to share their stories. (Nevils went on medical leave from NBC in 2018 — after her claim against Lauer got him fired — and collected “seven figures” from the network, according to Farrow’s book.)
Matt Lauer has broken his silence in an open letter. His accuser responded, calling the letter “a case study in victim shaming.” @StephGosk has the details. pic.twitter.com/zFPAFDyB8X
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 10, 2019
In Lauer’s open letter, he did acknowledge other accusers beyond Nevils. He wrote, “For two years, the women with whom I had extramarital relationships have abandoned shared responsibility, and instead, shielded themselves from blame behind false allegations ... They have done enormous damage in the process. And I will no longer provide them the shelter of my silence.”
In a statement to Today on Thursday, Farrow said, “The stories and comments from the brave women who spoke out for the book will be enough to refute anything he has to say.”
Farrow’s book also connects Harvey Weinstein to Lauer. The journalist claims that the disgraced movie producer — who had an even greater #MeToo reckoning — used the allegations against Lauer, which he apparently knew about, as leverage to get stories about himself killed. Farrow had been working with NBC on a Weinstein exposé, but he was told his story wasn’t up to the network’s standards. He later brought the story to The New Yorker, winning a Pulitzer for his reporting.
NBC News head Andy Lack denied Farrow’s claim in a memo to employees. He said Farrow "simply didn't have a story that met our standard for broadcast” when it came to his Weinstein piece. Lack said it was “absolutely false and offensive” for anyone to say the network protected Lauer or Weinstein.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Ann Curry on former ‘Today’ co-host Matt Lauer’s accuser: ‘I believe she is telling the truth’
Matt Lauer denies rape allegation in Ronan Farrow's 'Catch and Kill'
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