Matt Lauer’s desk had a button that locked his door. Other NBC execs might, too.
Soon after NBC announced Wednesday that “Today” show host Matt Lauer was fired, reporters revealed that they had been looking into sexual misconduct allegations surrounding him.
After an investigation spanning two months, Variety published an article containing several accounts of sexual misconduct.
In one instance, Lauer allegedly gave a female coworker a sex toy and a note explaining how he’d use it on her. In another, Lauer allegedly invited a female employee to his office and showed her his penis.
But it’s the detail about Matt Lauer’s office door that has people talking.
“His office was in a secluded space, and he had a button under his desk that allowed him to lock his door from the inside without getting up,” Variety reported, adding that Lauer allegedly used this tool to lock women in his office and prevent others from walking in.
Matt Lauer "had a button under his desk that allowed him to lock his door from the inside without getting up." https://t.co/9OTX46I9yX
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) November 29, 2017
FYI, as strange as it sounds in print, several execs at NBC News have this auto door close switch under their office desks at 30 Rock. I always found it to be intimidating but not unusual.
— Betsy Fischer Martin (@BFischerMartin) November 29, 2017
I absolutely mean it when I say that a very good jumping-off point for the next story here is who in the hell would sign off on a button to let somebody surreptitiously lock his door. That tick-tock, I would read.
— Linda Holmes (@nprmonkeysee) November 29, 2017
That feels like overkill, though. How is it different from a locked office door without a button? That Lauer used it the way he did is the problem.
— Matthew Kramer (@pilot) November 29, 2017
An Oral History of the office lock switches at 30 Rock pls https://t.co/FuSmXSw17d
— Chris Krewson (@ckrewson) November 29, 2017
Out of curiosity, has anyone even heard of such a device before? Maybe for a person with mobility challenges? https://t.co/BgjLmAf0bX
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) November 29, 2017
Lauer is the latest media figure to lose his job after allegations of sexual harassment. CBS morning show host Charlie Rose was fired recently after being accused of sexual harassment, and others have been removed from their posts as well following an outpouring of allegations after The New York Times investigation of Harvey Weinstein.
This story was originally published November 29, 2017 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Matt Lauer’s desk had a button that locked his door. Other NBC execs might, too.."