After months of tense speculation, Matt Lauer and Annette Roque are officially divorcing.
But this lengthy process could turn ugly — well, uglier — at any moment, especially considering how Lauer is reportedly in denial about how horrible his behavior really was.
Now it’s reported that Lauer’s former colleague, Meredith Viera, could become entangled in this $ 100 million divorce … and may be called to testify against him.
For ages, Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer seemed like peas in a pod. In 2013, Meredith defended Lauer during the controversy of NBC firing Ann Curry.
But now, Lauer is the one who’s been fired. He’s gone from a beloved figure to the list of accused sex monsters who’ve been hiding in plain sight for years.
And his wife is, of course, divorcing him.
So how does this involve Meredith Viera?
RadarOnline has an explosive new report that claims that the woman behind Lauer’s ousting was Meredith Viera’s own assistant.
Apparently, it was Viera’s assistant whom he targeted with sexual harassment in 2014, at the Sochi Winter Olympics.
This alleged harassment continued when they returned to New York.
She apparently had difficult-to-deny proof of Lauer’s harassment and generally disgusting behavior, in the form of wildly inappropriate images that he had texted to her.
It was these digital records that she turned over to the NBC higher-ups, which led them to fire Lauer.
Of course, that was what got the ball rolling. The dam broke, and other reports came about about Lauer’s unspeakable behavior.
That’s not the only thing that might tie Viera to this divorce, however.
In 2016, Meredith Viera hinted at Matt Lauer’s sexual fixations.
It’s almost certain that she had no idea that he was allegedly using NBC as a hunting ground for pretty, ambitious young women whom he could pressure into having sex with him.
But Viera specifically mentioned that Lauer had a “bag of sex toys” in his office.
(Again, his work office)
That ties in directly to some of the accusations, as he is said to have gifted sex toys to coworkers along with unsettling messages about how he would like to use the devices on them.
Most people probably interpreted that statement as a joke. And simply having a bag of sex toys at your place of work is not a crime.
But it could certainly come up during Roque’s divorce arguments … and if it does, Viera’s potential testimony could carry a lot of weight.
One could only wish that being a serial cheater were the worst of the accusations that Lauer is facing.
There’s using his position at NBC to pressure young employees into sex, even reportedly luring a woman to his hotel room by asking her to bring something to him.
There’s the in-office harassment, such as dropping his pants when a woman entered his office and later berating her for her refusal to perform a sex act.
And then, of course, Matt Lauer was accused of rape.
He reportedly locked a woman in his office (using the creepy button that did so remotely from his desk) and proceeded to allegedly assault her, bending her over.
He apparently only stopped and unlocked the door after she lost consciousness.
In a better world, someone accused of those kinds of misdeeds would be worried about massive lawsuits and prison time.
As it is, apparently Roque had to force Lauer out of their home because he had simply refused to leave.
It sounds like he’s preoccupied with public perceptions … and it’s been rumored that he believes that he can have his career again.
Perhaps if Meredith Viera or her assistant end up giving testimony during his divorce, it will become more clear to him that he has a lot more to lose than millions in spousal support.
Lauer’s divorce could end up being a test run for lawsuits or, potentially, a criminal investigation.
