Variety is reporting that the desk recently-fired TODAY anchor Matt Lauer's desk was rigged with a special button:
His office was in a secluded space, and he had a button under his desk that allowed him to lock his door from the inside without getting up. This afforded him the assurance of privacy. It allowed him to welcome female employees and initiate inappropriate contact while knowing nobody could walk in on him, according to two women who were sexually harassed by Lauer.
The detailed article also reports that Lauer was "fixated on women, especially their bodies and looks," according to 10 current and former employees:
He was known for making lewd comments verbally or over text messages. He once made a suggestive reference to a colleague's performance in bed and compared it to how she was able to complete her job, according to witnesses to the exchange. For Lauer, work and sex were intertwined.
"There were a lot of consensual relationships, but that's still a problem because of the power he held," says a former producer who knew first-hand of these encounters. "He couldn't sleep around town with celebrities or on the road with random people, because he's Matt Lauer and he's married. So he'd have to do it within his stable, where he exerted power, and he knew people wouldn't ever complain."
Matt Lauer Accused of Sexual Harassment by Multiple Women (EXCLUSIVE)
screenshot via TODAY
Previously: NBC fires Matt Lauer over "inappropriate sexual behavior"
