Former NBC “Today” anchor Matt Lauer is reportedly exploring a return to the media industry nearly eight years after he was fired over allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior.
According to People, a source familiar with the situation said Lauer “wants to get back into the media arena in some capacity, if not TV” and has “talked to some people about it,” as reported [1] by Page Six.
Lauer, now 67, was terminated by NBC in November 2017 after the network received what it described as a “detailed complaint from a colleague” and determined there was reason to believe the conduct “may not have been an isolated incident.”
Matt Lauer is looking to return to TV after ‘Today’ firing. https://t.co/HucSeZVdpI [2]
— TV Insider (@TVInsider) November 29, 2025 [3]
Page Six separately reported that Lauer had been accused of sending lewd messages and explicit photos to female NBC staffers, including a young intern.
Following his firing, two additional women came forward with allegations. One woman said Lauer summoned her to his office for sex and said she “felt helpless because she didn’t want to lose her job.”
Lauer issued a public apology the day after his dismissal, but also claimed that some of the accusations were “untrue.”
“There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions,” Lauer said at the time.
“To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry.” He added that some claims were “untrue or mischaracterized,” while acknowledging “there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”
In the aftermath of the scandal, Lauer and his then-wife Annette Roque, divorced, finalizing the split two years later. Since leaving NBC, Lauer has kept a low profile and has largely stayed out of public view while living in the Hamptons.
The People source said Lauer remains “still angry” over “the way he was treated by the industry” and by people he “thought were his friends.”
Over the past several years, the source said Lauer has focused on being a “good father” to his three children — Jack, 24, Romy, 22, and Thijs, 18 — and spending time with them.
Earlier this year, former CNN journalist Don Lemon publicly predicted Lauer’s return to the news industry, saying “the public misses him.”
Don Lemon Thinks Matt Lauer Can Make a Comeback! #DonLemon [4] #MattLauer [5] #MediaComback [6] #CelebrityNews [7] #Controversy [8] pic.twitter.com/6m0ChKpfx9 [9]
— WEAZEL FACTS (@WeazelFactsNews) January 25, 2025 [10]
Lauer has not announced any specific plans or confirmed whether he intends to pursue television or another form of media.