Since Matt Lauer was fired from Today in 2017 for sexual misconduct allegations, he’s stayed pretty quiet. Following him leaving and being replaced on the NBC morning news show, Hoda Kotb took over the anchor position. While Lauer is completely disconnected from the telecast and its employees now, it turns out that he’s still quite close with the Today host who came before him, Bryant Gumbel.
Apparently, Lauer has “drastically changed his social circle and iced out many old friends,” a source told People. They also noted that this included people from Today who “stuck by him.” However, he’s still very close with Bryant Gumbel. A source explained the reported state of their friendship, saying:
Matt loves Bryant and vice versa and their long time friendship has really helped Matt through all of the issues he has faced in the last few years.
Earlier this year, Gumbel spoke to Page Six about Lauer, saying that “he’s doing great.” The journalist also said he speaks to the former anchor on a near-daily basis. According to the People article, the longtime friends are also supportive of each other’s work, they said:
Matt has some projects he is working on, and Bryant has been encouraging and inspirational for him. They talk regularly.
The two men’s relationship goes back decades. Matt Lauer took over co-hosting the Today show from Gumbel in 1997. In 1998, Gumbel was Lauer’s best man at his wedding to his now ex-wife Annette Roque, and the two men switched places in 2001 when the sports reporter married his second wife Hilary Quinlan.
This report about Gumbel and Lauer still being friends comes six years after the latter was fired from Today for sexual misconduct allegations. As stated earlier, after he left, Hoda Kotb became the new co-host of the telecast, and she’s still in the role as the show continues to air on the 2023 TV schedule.
After the first claims about the disgraced reporter surfaced, more came up, and Lauer responded to the allegations right after his firing saying some of them were “untrue or mischaracterized.” However, he also admitted that there was “enough truth” that he felt “embarrassed and ashamed.” He also spoke about the allegations in April 2018, months after they were made, claiming that anything about “coercive, aggressive or abusive actions” was “absolutely false.”
Following Lauer’s firing, he and Annette Roque got a divorce. The two share three children, and according to the Page Six article, Gumbel said the former Today employee is close with them. He’s also been dating Shamin Abas since 2019, and they reportedly work to keep their relationship very private.
While Matt Lauer’s relationships with many have reportedly changed a lot or completely ended, when it comes to his friendship with his long-time pal Bryant Gumbel they remain close.
