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Matt Lauer Plans to Take More Powerful Men Down With Him in Tell-All
Everyone’s got an opinion about Matt Lauer. In the two months since he was fired from Today in the wake of a bombshell sexual misconduct scandal, his past and current colleagues have weighed in. “What we are experiencing and processing now is how to honor and remain a true friend to someone even in spite of learning things that are deeply disturbing,” his most recent co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, said in January. Just about the only person who hasn’t spoken out is Matt himself.
That’s about to change as multiple sources reveal to In Touch what the 60-year-old has been doing in recent weeks. According to an insider, Matt is penning a tell-all about his time at NBC, and getting revenge on those who he feels wronged him. “Matt will name powerful men he knows, some famous, who did the same thing he did,” says an insider. “He will expose people. He knows all their dirty secrets. Everyone was sleeping with each other!”
Savannah, Matt, and fellow NBC co-anchor Hoda Kotb.
But the memoir also serves a higher purpose. “The plan is that this book becomes the catalyst for Matt’s career recovery,” says the insider. “He hopes that by being honest and revealing all of his character defects, it will help him heal and regain the trust of his former audience.”
Writing the tell-all will be a challenge for Matt. He needs to explain what he did — without trying to excuse it. “Matt’s not planning on justifying his misconduct; that would be the wrong move,” says the insider. Instead, he will reveal the “boys’ club atmosphere” at Today and how that contributed to his “deeply flawed way of thinking,” says a source. “For much of his tenure, Matt felt he was responsible for strong ratings and big revenues, and that he was un-fireable. He got so caught up in his own myth that he felt the network brass would protect and cover up his misdeeds for years. But he was wrong.”
The TV news veteran will also provide a peek into his private world. While writing about his multiple indiscretions with co-workers, Matt will address his two-decade-long marriage to Annette Roque, the mother of his three children: Jack, 16, Romy, 14, and Thijs, 11. “He’ll admit to his callous treatment of her,” says the source.
Matt and his wife, Annette.
The heartfelt passage he plans to write may serve as a last-ditch effort to keep Annette from divorcing him for good. “Matt refuses to give up on his family,” says the source. “He’s trying to win their trust back. As much of a player as he was outside the home, he has always remained a great, doting father to his kids. It’s his one saving grace as far as Annette is concerned.”
At this point, he has nothing to lose by telling all. “Matt’s putting it all out there; nothing is off-limits. He feels like he has to,” says the insider. “It’s going to be a very emotional journey.”
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