Matt Lauer has once again been accused of rape. This time, however, the name of the disgraced journalist’s alleged victim, and the details of his alleged misdeed, have been made public. (About two years ago, we reported on a previous rape allegation that claimed Lauer bent a staffer over a desk in his office in 2001 and violated her right then and there.) In Ronan Farrow’s new book, “Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators,” the well-respected reporter interviews NBC News employee Brooke Nevils. It was her complaint about Lauer led to his firing in November 2017 . At the time, Nevils’ identity was kept anonymous at her request; this is the first time the full details of her story have been released for all to read. Nevils alleges in the book, according to Variety, that Lauer anally raped her in his hotel room at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. According to Nevils, she ran into Lauer at a bar one night. After doing six shots of vodka, she first went to Lauer’s hotel room to grab her press credentials and then later went back after the Today Show anchor invited her. Once there this second time, Nevils says, Lauer kissed her… and then pushed her onto the bed and asked if she liked anal sex. Farrow writes that Nevils said she “declined several times,” but he supposedly “just did it” and didn’t use lubricant. Nevils claims the encounter was painful and that she “bled for days.” “It was nonconsensual in the sense that I was too drunk to consent,” she reportedly tells Farrow in the book. “It was nonconsensual in that I said, multiple times, that I didn’t want to have anal sex.” Nevils admits that she and Lauer slept together a few times after they returned to New York City, explaining the situation as follows: “It was completely transactional. It was not a relationship.” At Meredith Vieira’s prompting, Nevils reported her ordeal to NBC executives in the fall of 2017. A short time later, Lauer was fired for what NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack said at that time was “a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” Nevils went on medical leave in 2018 and was eventually paid “seven figures,” writes Farrow in his book. Lauer, whose marriage officially ended this summer , had mostly kept quiet ever since getting the boot two years ago. But he issued a lengthy statement to Variety in the wake of this rape allegation. In a new book, it is alleged that an extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter I have previously admitted having, was in fact an assault. It is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense , he says, continuing as follows: I had an extramarital affair with Brooke Nevils in 2014. It began when she came to my hotel room very late one night in Sochi, Russia. We engaged in a variety of sexual acts. We performed oral sex on each other, we had vaginal sex, and we had anal sex. Each act was mutual and completely consensual. Referring to the accusations made in Farrow’s book, Lauer says Nevils’ side of the experience is “filled with false details intended only to create the impression this was an abusive encounter.” He adds along this line: Nothing could be further from the truth. There was absolutely nothing aggressive about that encounter. Brooke did not do or say anything to object. She certainly did not cry. She was a fully enthusiastic and willing partner. At no time did she behave in a way that made it appear she was incapable of consent. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted to do. The only concern she expressed was that someone might see her leaving my room. She embraced me at the door as she left. Lauer goes on to admit to an ongoing affair with Nevils, emphasizing that she never expressed “discomfort” of any kind. He also says Nevils never worked for him or had to answer to him in any way in their roles at NBC. Lauer claims he basically ghosted Nevils as a way to end their affair and strongly hints that she’s now saying all this stuff out of bitterness and anger — and because she wants to sell a book. In conclusion? I have never assaulted anyone or forced anyone to have sex. Period , Lauer writes. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am a very private person. I had no desire to write this, but I had no choice. The details I have written about here open deep wounds for my family. But they also lead to the truth. For two years, the women with whom I had extramarital relationships have abandoned shared responsibility, and instead, shielded themselves from blame behind false allegations. They have avoided having to look a boyfriend, husband, or a child in the eye and say, “I cheated.” They have done enormous damage in the process. And I will no longer provide them the shelter of my silence . View Slideshow: Matt Lauer: A Timeline of Terrible Behavior
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Brooke Nevils Accuses Matt Lauer of Anal Rape; Disgraced Reporter Responds
