Matt Lauer was fired from NBC on Wednesday after an employee at the network filed a complaint against him for allegedly engaging in "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace."
Lauer’s co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb announced the news live at the top of the Today show.
"This is a sad morning here at Today," Guthrie said, before reading a statement from NBC News chairman Andrew Lack.
Lack's memo was also sent to NBC employees and explained the network’s decision to part ways with Lauer.
Lack’s statement notes this has been the first complaint filed against Lauer in more than two decades with NBC. But he said the network also has "reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."
"As I'm sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing all of this," Kotb said. "I will tell you right now we do not know more than what I just shared with you but we will be covering the story as reporters. And we promise we will share that with you."
"All I can say is we are heartbroken," Guthrie added.
Guthrie also applauded her "brave colleague who came forward to tell her own story and any other women who have their own stories to tell."
The news regarding Lauer has also been shocking for many. Kotb, who said she has known Lauer for 15 years, spoke about her reaction to the news on air on Wednesday morning.
"How do you reconcile your love for someone with the revelation that they have behaved badly? And I don't know the answer to that," Kotb said. "It's hard to reconcile what we are hearing with the man we know, who walks in this building every, single day."
Lauer's firing comes on the heels of the news of another high-profile morning news anchor who was fired for similar reasons: Charlie Rose. Rose was fired from CBS and PBS after eight women accused him of sexual assault. Rose was a co-anchor on CBS This Morning and hosted his own show Charlie Rose, which was canceled.
A report from Page Six citing an unnamed source claims that the "NBC staffer" who came forward and filed a complaint against Lauer claimed "Matt sexually assaulted her at the Olympics. There have been rumors about Matt having affairs with subordinates at NBC for years, but those were believed to be consensual. This incident in Rio was not."
