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NBC Fires Matt Lauer Over Accusations Of "Inappropriate Sexual Behavior'

NEW YORK (AP/WJZWJZ) — NBC News has fired "Today" show host Matt Lauer for allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior.

On Wednesday morning, the network opened the "Today" show with news of the termination. NBC News chairman Andy Lack released a statement saying the network had "received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace my Matt Lauer."

The statement went onto say, "It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company's standards. As a result, we've decided to terminate his employment," Lack wrote. "While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over twenty years he's been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident."

Lauer, 59, has hosted "Today" for two decades. When paired with Katie Couric, "Today" was the longtime ratings leader and was highly lucrative for NBC. It now runs second in the ratings to ABC's "Good Morning America."

On Twitter, President Trump said "Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for 'inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.' But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News."

The news comes after former "CBS This Morning" Co-host Charlie Rose was fired as he's facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

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(TM and Copyright 2017 CBS and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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