Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that “Today” show host, Matt Lauer, has been fired by NBC following allegations of sexual misconduct.
What usually happens now are the follow-up of stories in which people surrounding the accused talk about all these obvious signs of the reprehensible conduct that they failed to report.
Not so with Katie Couric, who, during a 2012 interview on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live,” said that one of Lauer’s most annoying habits was that “he pinches me on my ass a lot.”
She saw the signs. She apparently felt the signs too.
From 2013:
Andy Cohen: “You’ve co-hosted the TODAY show with Matt Lauer for 15 years, what is Matt’s his most annoying habit?”
Katie Couric: “He pinches me on the ass a lot.” pic.twitter.com/kszzlmvt9o
— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) November 29, 2017
I mean, holy cow. How does that not raise a few alarm bells, even prior to the current climate of daily sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood and politics?
Couric spent over a decade co-hosting the “Today” show alongside Lauer.
.@katiecouric tried to warn us.
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) November 29, 2017
What makes this semi-remarkable is the fact that NBC is claiming they only learned of Lauer’s behavior this week, prompting the firing.
In a statement, they claimed ‘it was the first complaint lodged against Lauer since he was named in 1997.’
But here is Couric, on video, making a very public complaint about having her a** pinched. Repeatedly!
@TheTodayShow why wasn’t this looked into when this was stated . Perhaps, if something was done then it would have prevented another victim of being subjected to sexual harassment on the job. Be #proactive https://t.co/tVmwhOM9u8
— Pandah🐼❤ (@Pandadahbear) November 29, 2017
Instead, nobody batted an eyelash at the comments. The interview rolled on. The media didn’t care. NBC didn’t care. Utter silence.
“Katie’s answer came and went,” TMZ reported. “It was hardly picked up by the media.”
Couric proceeded through the interview and played a game of “shag, marry, and kill,” in which the former “Today” host said she’d “marry” Lauer. Bryant Gumbel was her choice for “shagging” while Dan Rather was on the receiving end of the “kill” order.
What do you make of this video of Couric saying Lauer ‘pinched my ass a lot?’ Light-hearted joke or ominous warning? Share your thoughts below!