Lauer's Accuser Responds to His 1,400-Word Letter

'A case study in victim blaming,' says Brooke Nevils
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 10, 2019 8:06 AM CDT
Lauer's Accuser Responds to His 1,400-Word Letter
Matt Lauer on the set of the "Today" show in New York on Nov. 8, 2017.   (Nathan Congleton/NBC via AP)

Brooke Nevils says Matt Lauer's lengthy response to her going public with the rape allegation that led to his ouster from the Today show in 2017 was an attempt "to bully a former colleague into silence," but "I am not afraid of him now." In a statement, the former NBC News employee—who describes being anally raped by Lauer in 2014 in Ronan Farrow's new book Catch and Kill—says her colleague used "threats, bullying," and "shaming and predatory tactics … against me" in what she sees as "a case study in victim blaming," per NBC News.

Lauer gets no more sympathy from his former employer. His conduct was "appalling, horrific and reprehensible, as we said at the time," reads a Wednesday statement from NBC News. "That's why he was fired within 24 hours of us first learning of the complaint. Our hearts break again for our colleague." Meanwhile, Nevils acknowledged those who have her back in a tweet, per USA Today. "I want to thank the many survivors who shared their stories with me today and offered their support," she wrote. "It takes courage, and I am truly grateful." (More Matt Lauer stories.)

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