Katie Couric breaks silence on Matt Lauer: ‘I had no idea’

Katie Couric, who was Matt Lauer’s “Today” co-host for several years, broke her silence Saturday on sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Couric told People magazine: “I had no idea this was going on during my tenure or after I left.”

Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, co-hosts of the NBC "Today" program, open her farewell broadcast in New York in 2006. Associated Press/Richard Drew

She departed NBC in 2006 to anchor the “CBS Evening News” and has been criticized for her silence in the more than a month since Lauer was fired. NBC News conducted an investigation of a Lauer colleague’s detailed complaint of “inappropriate sexual behavior.” Other women have come forward with accusations against him.

“I think I speak for many of my former colleagues when I say this was not the Matt we knew,” Couric told People. “Matt was a kind and generous colleague who treated me with respect. In fact, a joke I once made on late-night television was just that, because it was completely contrary to our brother-sister relationship. It’s still very upsetting. I really admire the way Savannah (Guthrie) and Hoda (Kotb) and the entire ‘Today’ show staff have handled a very difficult situation.”

Couric was referring to a remark she made in 2012 on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” that Lauer “pinches me on the ass a lot.” The clip received wide attention online after Lauer’s firing in late November.

Couric’s only other public statement on Lauer was one she made on Instagram last month in response to a user who chided her for not speaking out: “It’s incredibly upsetting and I will say something when I’m ready to. Thanks for your interest.”

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