Megyn Kelly Gives Powerful Statement on Matt Lauer Being Fired from the 'Today' Show
On Wednesday morning, NBC announced it had fired Today show host Matt Lauer after the network received allegations of "inappropriate sexual behavior." Lauer, who was on the show since 1997, has not yet responded publicly to the allegations.
Hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced his firing live on air, and both said they were devastated by the news. Cohost Megyn Kelly weighed in later in the morning, and talked about how it's important to think of women brave enough to speak out about alleged sexual harassment in the workplace.
On her show, Megyn Kelly Today, she took the time to address Lauer's firing, and how it related to her experiences at Fox News. She claimed in her memoir, Settle for More, that former Fox News boss Roger Ailes sexually harassed her in the workplace. Ailes was forced to resign from the network after multiple harassment allegations.
"We start this morning with this news: Matt Lauer has been terminated from NBC News." pic.twitter.com/9g5Ou9r2K6
- Megyn Kelly TODAY (@MegynTODAY) November 29, 2017
Though Kelly said the Lauer news "hit close to home," she also said the world is going through a "sea change" when it comes to women in the workplace. "We don't see the career opportunities women lose because of sexual harassment or the intense stress it causes a woman dealing with it when she comes to work each day," she said.
Read her comments below:
"This one does hit close to home. I too have known Matt for a long time, and he has been a friend, and kind and supportive to me in my transition to NBC News, and I see the anguish on my colleagues' faces. But when this happens, what we don't see is the pain on the faces of those who found the courage to come forward, and it is a terrifying thing to do. We don't see the career opportunities women lose because of sexual harassment or the intense stress it causes a woman dealing with it when she comes to work each day. I am thinking of those women this morning and hoping they are okay. The days to come will not be easy. We are in the middle of a sea change in this country, an empowerment revolution in which women who for years have felt they had no choice but to simply deal with being harassed at work are now starting to picture another reality, to feel that change is within their grasp. As painful as this moment is for so many here at NBC today, at CBS earlier this month, at Fox News over the last year, in Hollywood this fall, it is a sign of progress, of women finding their voices, their courage, and of the erosion of a shameful power imbalance that has been in place for far too long. A final note: I have been at another news channel where this happened, as you know. And my experience is a news organization is bigger than any one person. They all face challenges, they all stumble, but the good ones stay standing and forge forward fulfilling their core mission: journalism. We'll continue to stay on this story and bring you more as we know it. Until then, on with the news."
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