NBC host Megyn Kelly is being anything but quiet about Matt Lauer’s demise. Just hours after she addressed Lauer’s firing from the network on her own show, she revealed at Business Insider’s IGNITION conference in New York that she’d previously heard rumors about Lauer’s misconduct – and she’d “hoped [they weren’t] true.”
After being pressed by Alyson Shontell about whether she’d had any idea that the Lauer firing was coming, Kelly admitted that while she “didn’t have any official knowledge” of the matter, her line of work had made her privy to rumblings about Lauer’s behavior.
“I had heard rumors about Matt, but that’s all they were,” Kelly said. “And my feeling on it was a rumor is not the same as reportable fact, and it was also that I hear a lot of rumors about myself too that are completely untrue. And when you’re a public figure, people do make up things about you and put them in print.”
“So I had no inside knowledge at all, but I knew people were sniffing around the issue.”
Kelly also said that, because of the work she does, she “knew the Charlie Rose thing was coming.” Last week, CBS News fired Charlie Rose following reports of allegations of sexual harassment from eight different women.
It seems strange that Kelly would know that Rose – who worked for a completely different organization than her – was on the chopping block but had no idea about Lauer. Then again, Lauer’s firing was reportedly so shocking because his accuser didn’t go public; instead, she went to NBC’s HR department. So it would make sense that the issue was tightly under wraps.
However, Kelly isn’t the only reporter who says they’d previously heard about Lauer’s alleged misconduct. Prolific freelance journalist Yashar Ali also said that he “and other reporters” had been aware of “several women” who came forward privately with stories about Lauer. So it seems that Lauer’s behavior, much like Harvey Weinstein’s, was an open secret within the media world.
What do you think about Megyn Kelly’s response to the Matt Lauer situation? Share your thoughts and comments below!
