Matt Lauer, a former host for The Today Show, reportedly wants to return to television, but an insider says he allegedly doesn’t want to engage with social media and other platforms in the modern media landscape. In 2017, Lauer’s contract with NBC ended abruptly after he faced allegations of “inappropriate sexual behavior.” A report earlier this week revealed that the 67-year-old broadcaster wanted “to get back into the media arena in some capacity.” However, a source believes that this comeback would be tough given that the modern media has changed since his departure nearly a decade ago.
Matt Lauer allegedly wants to return to TV but is stuck in the past
Entertainment reporter Rob Shuter says that Lauer allegedly wants to re-enter the media landscape, according to those who have taken “exploratory” calls with him, though he “wants to walk straight into a version of media that died years ago.”
In a report on his Naughty But Nice Substack, Shuter expands on what he means when he says that Lauer reportedly has “zero interest in doing what it actually takes to reboot a modern media career.” This includes not wanting to post entertaining videos on TikTok, sitting down for a podcast, appearing in various segments and collaborations on YouTube, and being a guest or contestant on reality TV.
Shuter explains that “legacy TV isn’t hiring” and “cable news is shrinking,” meaning that the space Lauer occupied as a newscaster in the past has lost much of its relevance over the last ten years.
One anonymous insider said to Shuter that Lauer is “not scrappy” and that “he wants a platform, not a ring light.”
A source speaking with People says that Lauer, since his departure from television, has reportedly occupied his time in the Hamptons and is still in a relationship with Shamin Abas. However, he apparently remains “angry” at “the way he was treated by the industry” and “people he thought were his friends.”
