The dismissal of Matt Lauer from NBC's Today Show for sexual misconduct was one of the most dramatic revelations of 2017, and the world is still reeling as more details emerge of his shocking behavior.
Audiences were in disbelief when Lauer was let go, as his former co-anchor Samantha Guthrie announced the news on the show. They had been hosting together for five years, Lauer had then been a ten-year veteran of the program.
"This is a sad morning at 'Today' and NBC News," Guthrie said. "As I'm sure you can understand, we are devastated."
This was followed by the wildly popular decision to replace the empty slot with Hoda Kotb, where she co-hosted Today's fourth hour with Katie Lee Gifford.
Kobt was excited to take over the role and the network acknowledged how easy it was for her to fill the void and become part of the Today's Show's first on-air female duo.
However, they weren't the only ones with some thoughts on her new position. Kotb revealed that she has received several text messages from Lauer since she took on his old job.
The world was overwhelmed at the news of Lauer's troubling harassment accusations, and none were as taken aback than his former colleagues.
Hoda Kotb was still reeling from the news when she received personal messages from Lauer regarding her career shift.
"I did hear from him, yeah, he texted me and he said congratulations and some really nice words, and it meant the world when I saw the text pop up," she said. "My heart just went like, you know, it meant the world to see that."
While she recognizes the terrible actions that Lauer committed, Kotb also wants to remain a friend to Lauer.
"You know, Matt is our good friend and continues to be, and I think for both of us, we've just been trying to navigate this time and honor our love and friendship with Matt, but also understand and try to learn more about these circumstances," she said.
Lauer has not appeared in any interviews since his dismissal, though he has issued an apology acknowledging his actions as "damaging" and "shameful."
