- - Where Is Matt Lauer Now? Inside the Former News Anchor’s Life 9 Years After He Was Fired for Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Emily BlackwoodJanuary 29, 2026 at 11:07 PM

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Matt Lauer appears on NBC News' "Today" show.

Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

Matt Lauer was fired from Today in 2017 after the show received a complaint about "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace"

Multiple people later came forward to accuse the former host of sexual harassment, and one woman claimed that he had raped her at the 2014 Winter Olympics

Lauer has denied the allegations and lived a private life since his firing, though a source said in 2025 that he hopes to return to "the media arena in some capacity"

It's been nearly a decade since Matt Lauer was ousted from Today following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment and assault.

He was fired in November 2017, with his co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, announcing on air that NBC had received a complaint about “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.”

One of his accusers, Brooke Nevils, who accused Lauer of raping her at the 2014 Winter Olympics, is sharing more of her story in a new memoir, Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe.

In an excerpt published by The Cut, she detailed the aftermath of her headline-making ordeal.

"I barely recognized the train wreck I’d become," Nevils, a former NBC news producer, wrote. "I was compulsive, paranoid, and drinking all the time. I felt I’d ruined everything, hurt and embarrassed everyone I loved. Soon I would find myself in a psych ward, believing myself so worthless and damaged that the world would be better off without me."

Nevils' complaint ultimately led to Lauer's firing, and the slew of disturbing accusations against him followed. Though he denied raping her in a 2019 letter to Variety, the longtime broadcaster said there was "enough truth in these stories" to make him "feel embarrassed and ashamed" in a statement read by his former colleagues on air.

So, where is Matt Lauer now? Here's everything to know about the former Today host's life nearly a decade after he was accused of sexual harassment and assault.

Lauer was fired in 2017 following sexual harassment allegations

Matt Lauer appears on NBC News' "Today" show.

Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty

In November 2017, Guthrie announced on air that NBC had received a complaint about Lauer's alleged “inappropriate sexual behavior” and had terminated his employment.

The network later acknowledged receiving two additional complaints, including one from a former employee who alleged that the journalist sexually assaulted her in his office in 2001.

More women proceeded to anonymously come forward to accuse Lauer of sexual harassment since his firing. In December 2017, former Today show employee Addie Zinone told Variety that she had an affair with the former host in 2000 and that even though the alleged relationship was consensual, she "ultimately felt like a victim because of the power dynamic."

He denied the claims and said his relationship with Nevils was “consensual”

Days after his firing, Lauer claimed — in a statement read on air by Guthrie — that some of the allegations against him were "untrue or mischaracterized." However, he acknowledged the personal toll his actions had taken on his loved ones.

"I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly," Lauer continued. "Repairing the damage will take a lot of time and soul searching, and I'm committed to beginning that effort. It is now my full time job. The last two days have forced me to take a very hard look at my own troubling flaws. It's been humbling."

In October 2019, Variety published an excerpt from Ronan Farrow's book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, that detailed how Lauer allegedly anally raped Nevils during the 2014 Sochi Olympics. She reportedly told the author that she "declined several times" and was "too drunk to consent."

The former Today host denied raping Nevils in a letter to Variety, and described the incident as "an extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter."

"The story Brooke tells is filled with false details intended only to create the impression this was an abusive encounter," Lauer wrote. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

Lauer started dating Shamin Abas in 2019

Matt Lauer at the reception of Don Lemon's wedding on April 07, 2024 in New York City.

Gotham/GC Images

Two years after he was accused of sexual misconduct, Lauer's wife, Annette Roque, filed for divorce. They welcomed three children throughout their marriage: Jack, Romy and Thijs.

Shortly after their divorce was finalized, Lauer began dating businesswoman Shamin Abas, with whom he had been friends for over two decades.

"They had a good solid foundation as friends and in business when they started dating, and the romance has grown over the years," a source told PEOPLE in January 2023. "They try and stay out of the spotlight but are happy together and not interested in a high-profile life. They are off the radar and low-key. They are enjoying their lives."

A source said Lauer wanted to return to “the media arena” in 2025

In November 2025, a source told PEOPLE that Lauer was beginning to plan his professional life again.

"He wants to get back into the media arena in some capacity, if not TV," the insider said. “He has talked to some people about it."

Exactly what that capacity entails isn't clear, but the claims came a year after another source said the former TV host wasn't looking to get back to work any time soon.

“He’s actually doing well and happy,” the friend told PEOPLE in November 2024. “He doesn’t work and he doesn’t have to. He’s not looking to. He was a journalist at heart and he did some impactful political interviews that spanned his career, but the current cycle of politics isn’t anything even people who have been doing it for a long time are really excited to cover.”

One of his accusers detailed her alleged rape in her memoir

In an excerpt from her memoir published by The Cut in January 2026, Nevils detailed both her alleged rape by Lauer and the aftermath of reporting it to NBC. She claimed that the pain she felt the morning after her first assault was "undeniable."

"It hurt to walk," she wrote. "It hurt to sit. It hurt to remember."

Nevils claimed that later that day, Lauer emailed her something to the effect of, "You don’t call, you don’t write — my feelings are hurt! How are you?"

"I had no idea how to respond, but I knew that to ask anyone for help would only make it worse," she wrote. "Shameful secrets are like that. To trust anyone is to give them power over you. I was totally alone, drowning in plain sight."

Where is Matt Lauer now?

Matt Lauer and Shamin Abas attend The Bridge VIII on September 14, 2024 in Bridgehampton, NY.

Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty

According to multiple sources, Lauer has been living a "quiet life" in the Hamptons, New York, where he spends time with his family and friends.

"Matt has a circle of friends, including some from his big star NBC days," one source told PEOPLE. "Matt is a good father and has spent needed time with them during their teen years. He likes being with them and has supported their interests. He loves his children.”

Though the former anchor mostly stays out of the public eye, he has been photographed at a few events, including Don Lemon's New York City wedding in April 2024. The insider told PEOPLE that he's "less worried about being seen out than he was at the beginning of these years since he left NBC."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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