KEY POINTS
- Katie Couric said she didn't notice anything alarming about Matt Lauer's interactions with women when they worked together
- She shared that they never discussed "intimate" details of their personal lives with each other as colleagues
- Lauer was fired in 2017 after more than two decades as anchor of the "Today" show following accusations of sexual misconduct
Katie Couric is reflecting on the sexual harassment allegations against her former "Today" co-host Matt Lauer in her first interview about her upcoming memoir.
During her interview with People magazine, Couric said she was "shocked" by the allegations, calling Lauer's behavior "callous" and "grossly inappropriate."
"What upset me the most about hearing these stories [was] that obviously [his behavior] was grossly inappropriate, but also it just seemed so callous," she told the outlet. "And that's not the Matt I knew. There's a duality in human beings, and sometimes they don't let you see both sides."
In her upcoming book "Going There," Couric wrote that after learning about Lauer's behavior, she came to realize that he was a professional partner and friend to her, but a predator to others.
"It took me a very, very long time to kind of come to terms with it," she said. "Also, to appreciate the damage that was done to women who were taken advantage of by many powerful men."
Couric confirmed that she is no longer speaking to Lauer.
In late 2017, Lauer was fired by NBC after more than two decades as anchor of the "Today" show following accusations of sexual misconduct.
At the time, Variety reported that numerous women had accused Lauer of sexual harassment in the workplace. Former NBC News employee Brooke Nevils then came forward with allegations that Lauer raped her during a business trip at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, and her complaint led to the anchor's firing.
Lauer has since called the rape allegation "categorically false" and claimed his encounter with Nevils was an "extramarital affair."
Despite working together for nearly two decades, Couric said she never knew about Lauer's inappropriate interactions with women in the workplace, telling People that she knew he was a "player," but they never shared private details about their personal lives with one another. She also said that he was never inappropriate in her presence.
"I could count on one hand the times that I talked to him as I would a confidant or a really close friend," she said.
However, Couric wrote in her memoir that she once received a call from a producer about an email Lauer sent to her by mistake in 2004 that mentioned spreading butter on her thighs and other sexual comments.
Couric said she was "shocked and disappointed" but admitted that at the time, she had assumed that the interaction was consensual and not abusive.
"Going There" will be released on Oct. 26.
Matt Lauer and Katie Couric were co-workers at NBC. The television personalities are pictured attending The New York Observer Relaunch Event on April 1, 2014 in New York City. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
