Today and This Morning have a tiny little #MeToo problem. Now Matt Lauer has joined Charlie Rose looking for a job at Al Jazeera (the only place where sexual harassment isn't just overlooked, but mandated) and NBC has joined NPR and CBS in the doghouse.
Matt Lauer, an anchor of "Today" for two decades, was fired by NBC News after a detailed complaint about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace that took place during the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
The accusation also noted that the alleged behavior continued after the games, NBC News confirmed.
"Today" co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb were emotional as they announced Lauer's firing Wednesday, telling viewers at the top of the live broadcast that they were processing his departure but didn't yet know all of the details.
Guthrie, who joined Lauer at the anchor desk in 2012, said she was "heartbroken" for both him and the "brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their stories to tell."
"I'm sure we will be learning more details in the hours and days to come. And we promise we will share that with you," she said.
And then they cut to a heartbroken commercial for a Weinstein Company flick.
Personally, I'm heartbroken for everyone. Especially ABC, which still doesn't have its own major sex scandal. It's unfair to leave ABC out. But at least all future morning shows will be entirely female. Or chemically castrated.
The future of infotainment may be castrato CNN news. Either that or replacing everyone with Russian bots. Because journalism is really hard. Still there is one talent option that everyone is overlooking.
Brian Williams is toiling in the coal mines of MSNBC. And while he is a compulsive liar, there's no evidence that he ever sexually harassed or assaulted anyone.