Katie Couric Calls Matt Lauer "Abusive" Today Show Interview Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:00) Well, let's talk about your time here at Today Show. You were here 15 years, nine of them, your partner was Matt Lauer. You talk about the book wrestling with, trying to come to terms with the accusations against him. What did you ultimately conclude? Katie Couric: (00:15) That was really, really hard and it took me a long time to process what was going on because the side of Matt I knew was the side of Matt I think you all knew, he was kind and generous and considerate, a good colleague. And as I got more information and learned what was going on behind the scenes, it was really upsetting and disturbing. And I think I... And then I did some of my own reporting. I talked to people, I really tried to excavate what had been going on and it was really devastating, but also disgusting. And I think what I realized is there was a side of Matt I never really knew. And I tried to understand why he behaved the way he did and why he was so reckless and callous and honestly, abusive to other women. Speaker 1: (01:15) Were there things that you in the course of writing this book, you looked back on stories or memories that you came to see in a different light? Katie Couric: (01:23) Well, there's always gossip and television news, and I think there was gossip here and there about certain people. And I think it was a very permissive environment in the '90s. And I think permissive environments often result in serious transgressions. And I think back then it was sort of like you felt like it was none of your business and nobody ever came to me to talk to me about it. And I think our notion of what a consensual relationship has changed dramatically, and you have to consider the power dynamics. I'm sure you've learned a lot about this too. Speaker 1: (02:00) You talked about after his firing grappling with whether to continue that friendship and you even include your actual text messages that you had with Matt, you kept them. Where does that relationship stand now? Katie Couric: (02:15) We have no relationship. I think I used those text messages because I thought they were very illustrative of how our relationship devolved and ultimately deteriorated. So I thought that was a powerful way to really let the reader into my thought process. And as I got more and more information, how it was harder and harder for me to reconcile these two sides.