The World's Smallest Violin Plays For Matt Lauer

By Kristy Puchko | TV | June 20, 2019 |

By Kristy Puchko | TV | June 20, 2019 |

NBC’s Today celebrated its 25th anniversary at their Studio 1A location with a sprawling montage recounting all the fun had on America’s plaza. The segment took a look back at incredible concerts, on-air marriage proposals, and an array of special celebrations. Today hosts Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly, Hoda Kotb, and Jenna Bush were featured in footage and talking head interviews. But some fans noticed a big omission from the montage: Matt Lauer.

When TODAY first moved to Studio 1A in 1994, it became a place where the team could try new things and connect with viewers.

Take a look back on some of those special moments over the past 25 years. pic.twitter.com/km1cbuMeAB

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 20, 2019

The disgraced Today host had worked on the show for nearly all of the 25 years being toasted in the video, but he doesn’t seem to appear in a single frame of the celebration montage. He’s not even in shots of their Halloween costume extravaganza, in which he always played a big role. Essentially, in this major moment in Today show history, Lauer was pointedly written out. Presumably, this was because he was fired from the show over sexual misconduct allegations, that included lewd comments, sexual harassment, exposing his genitalia to co-workers, sexual assault, and trapping female coworkers in his office with the help of a button on his desk that locked the door behind them.

But hey, some people still think Lauer deserved to be in the montage and took to Twitter to stand up for the alleged serial creep.

Erasing history guys? There was a “Matt Lauer” there for a couple of years.

— Robin (@robinsnest390) June 20, 2019

Matt Lauer was a huge part of the Today Show & Studio 1A. I think it's absolutely phony to act he didn't exist. I'm not a Lauer fan at all, never cared for him. But it's really phony to act he didn't exist on that show.

— Randy Bunt (@BUNTSTERMANIA2) June 20, 2019

Wow. @TODAYshow is celebrating 25 years @ Studio 1A & decided not to include 1 clip of Matt Lauer. He was a huge contributor to the show for as long as I watched; not Carson, not Savannah. Yes, what Matt did was wrong but him, Katie & Al helped build Today!! *turns channel*

— Nikki OW (@nikki_wo) 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

But drowning out the “woe is Matt Lauer” crowd, was the “seriously, f*ck that guy” crowd.

Today: looking back at 25 years

Some on Twitter for whatever reason: What no Matt Lauer in the video? Why?

Not even 10am and I give up on this Thursday. pic.twitter.com/NyzD33qqWa

— Nathan Platt (@nathanplatt) June 20, 2019

*Looks to see why Matt Lauer is trending* Yup humanity is still trash. Y’all are more upset by the fact that he was left out of a montage than the fact that he’s a sexual predator who had a button on his desk to lock women in his office. pic.twitter.com/44naMc9qJ0

— Beyoncé’s Beychella Bewts (@michellestanf) 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

I have to say, the Today Show editing of their 25 years of …something is a master class in the removal of Matt Lauer. I actually forgot he was part of the show.

— Beth B. (@BethBinDC) 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

There is no one more evil than someone who went on live TV to report sexual assault allegations and then after they went and did the same shit on their own time. https://t.co/Q9SSB8XpGK

— 𝖗0 (@r0anea) June 20, 2019

One more time for the people in the back: Seriously, f*ck that guy!

Sources: Twitter, Vanity Fair, Fox News