NBC called out for ‘erasing history’ after omitting Matt Lauer from ‘Today’ show montage
The TODAY show is celebrating 25 years in its famous 49th street studio. But after airing a montage of the memories made at Studio 1A in New York City, many are calling out NBC for “erasing history” by omitting former co-host Matt Lauer from a video tribute.
It’s been exactly 25 years since TODAY opened its window to the world, changing the way millions of Americans begin their day.
Take a look back at how it all began at Studio 1A. pic.twitter.com/z5Jz5Gkga2— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 20, 2019
“Take a look back at how it all began at Studio 1A,” TODAY’s tweet on Thursday reads, alongside the footage featuring the show’s hosts including Katie Couric, Bryant Gumbel, Al Roker, Hoda Kotb, and Savannah Guthrie.
However, Lauer, who replaced Couric’s original co-host, Gumbel, in 1997 and was a key player on the show for two decades after that, was noticeably missing — and people have mixed feelings about it.
Erasing history guys? There was a “Matt Lauer” there for a couple of years.
— Robin (@robinsnest390) June 20, 2019
Glad I'm not the only one disappointed that you left Matt Lauer out in your look back at 25 years on the Plaza. He deserved to lose his job BUT you can't erase the huge role he played on "Today" during his 20+ years doing the news then hosting. You can't rewrite history, @nbc.
— (((Stacey))) (@Fab4tune) June 20, 2019
Better off not even acknowledging the 25 years. You can’t erase over 20 years of history with leaving Matt out of the look back videos. Most of what you showed was of the past 2 years. That’s not history
— Nick Shaffer (@NickShaffer45) June 20, 2019
Some pointed out that Ann Curry, who hosted the show for a lengthy amount of time before her departure in 2012, was also missing from the mix, drawing more criticism from those who largely associated the news program with Couric, Roker, Lauer, and Curry.
No Ann Curry???
— Reneé Larson (@iamreneejai) June 20, 2019
I wish you hadn’t left off Matt Lauer and Ann Curry. They were a HUGE part of the show when I started watching. Matt Katy Anne and Al were my morning!!
— Laura Curtis (@sunsetbeachnc) June 20, 2019
— Laura Curtis (@sunsetbeachnc) June 20, 2019
Still, plenty of people defended NBC’s decision to keep Lauer out of the video after he was fired by the network in November 2017 following allegations of workplace misconduct.
"Matt Lauer" is where he deserves to be. In the shadows. Let him stay there. pic.twitter.com/OQgmteRktJ
— CADUCEUS1902 (@CADUCEUS1902) June 20, 2019
Matt Lauer was a sexual predator who had a button on his desk to trap women in his office with him.
“But he wasn’t in the montage!” pic.twitter.com/gczfxUBI29— Sarah Burleton (@SarahBurleton) June 20, 2019
"There's no Matt Lauer clips!" Why do you want to celebrate a sexual abuser so badly?
"He made the TODAY show what it is!" Yeah, and he sexually abused women while he did it. He deserves to be erased.— Amelia🌺 (@vberryami) June 20, 2019
People are more angry that Matt Lauer was not in a Today Show tribute than they are about Matt Lauer sexually assaulting women. And you wonder why women are angry.
— Megan (@MeganInNoDak) June 20, 2019
NBC didn’t immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. Lauer also remained unmentioned in Couric’s own Instagram tribute, which included photos of herself and Gumbel on the day that they christened the studio.
“I have so many great memories from that studio,” Couric wrote, “my home away from home!”
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