Ronan Farrow's New Book Claims Matt Lauer Raped A Former NBC Employee

Ronan Farrow, the journalist responsible for breaking the sexual assault allegations made against Harvey Weinstein and advocate for the #MeToo movement, is releasing a book titled "Catch and Kill," and snippets of it were released this week. One portion of the new book, in particular, took Twitter by storm this morning, after the detailed story behind Matt Lauer's termination by NBC News in November of 2017 was released.

Brooke Nevils, a former NBC News employee claimed that Lauer raped her in her hotel room while they were both working in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics . According to Variety, Nevils tells Farrow that their sexual encounter "was nonconsensual in the sense that I was too drunk to consent. It was nonconsensual in that I said, multiple times, that I didn’t want to have anal sex.”

Nevils requested NBC to keep her name private after NBC fired Lauer, but agreed for her identity to be revealed by Farrow. This morning, in a letter released by his attorney to both Variety and Insider, Lauer wrote, "It is alleged that an extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter I have previously admitted having, was, in fact, an assault. It is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense."

This morning, Today show hosts and former co-workers of Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb responded to the story by saying they were "disturbed to their core."

 

Overnight, troubling new allegations about former TODAY anchor Matt Lauer were revealed from journalist Ronan Farrow’s soon-to-be-released book “Catch and Kill.” @MorganRadford reports the details. pic.twitter.com/7ooO3oAJ5X

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) October 9, 2019

 

It didn't take too long for Twitter users to respond with anger towards Matt Lauer and NBC.

 

I am so incredibly furious about the #MattLauer letter. I mean fuck that guy.

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) October 9, 2019

 

It's true that NBC eventually ousted Matt Lauer. But it also fired @AnnCurry, an outstanding journalist who had tried to stand up for women at NBC. If NBC had then fired Lauer and kept Curry, it would have been infinitely better off in every way. https://t.co/2PMpvCPTcC

— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) October 9, 2019

 

If only NBC had the same compassion for its young female assistants -- doing 5 vodka shots with Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer before going to Lauer's hotel room – as it does for Central Americans crashing our border.These are our moral betters.

— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) October 9, 2019

 

This segment happened on Ellen after Matt Lauer raped an NBC employee. It was not public at the time, but just a reminder that Jeffrey Epstein, Matt Lauer, George W Bush, and Ellen have WAY more in common with each other than any of them could ever have with you. pic.twitter.com/U0obxfmzUH

— mugrimm (@unabanned) October 9, 2019

 

Days like today make me want to shout JUSTICE FOR ANNE CURRY and remind me of why I have fucking hated Matt Lauer since 2011. https://t.co/dzjsHa4XvP

— Nick Westrate (@westratenick) October 9, 2019

 

Depressed Matt Lauer Up All Night Rewatching 8-Second Clip Of Career Highlights https://t.co/k7mKUeO90s pic.twitter.com/W4a1wHAM3C

— The Onion (@TheOnion) October 9, 2019

 

Think about all the decision points made by disgraced sexual assaulter rapist Matt Lauer in the process of conceiving, recording, editing & then uploading this video for the world to see, that led him in his judgment to think this video was a GOOD idea👇🏼pic.twitter.com/HzVOnH0iWA

— Fernand R. Amandi (@AmandiOnAir) October 9, 2019

 

Several Twitter users applauded Guthrie and Kotb for their response to the story.

 

I just want to say Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb are handling the Matt Lauer news with professionalism. And the way they broke the wall and defended the person who came forward was what needed to be done.

— BillyHoward423 🎃🍁🍂🕸🕷 (@BillyHoward423) October 9, 2019

 

This is how you can support a survivor coming forward, even if you know the perp and he’s never been anything but good to you personally. Thank you SavannahGuthrie and hodakotb. https://t.co/gu1IPAcDZH

— Sara Rodriguez (@sararrodriguez_) October 9, 2019

 

There were also tweets that commended Ronan Farrow for his hard work in exposing the allegations.

All I can think is how much I used to love that "Where in the world" is Matt Lauer segment on Today, and now I wish the answer to that was prison or hell. Ronan Farrow is the kind of person we need for these wretched times.

— ProfB (@AntheaButler) October 9, 2019

 

Matt Lauer pops up in a Tik Tok after years away and Ronan Farrow’s out here waiting like pic.twitter.com/YvorBkOsNf

— greggnog (@greggnog) October 9, 2019

 

And of course, there were users criticizing Nevil's account of the story.

Reading Matt Lauer’s accuser’s story & it’s EVERYTHING I hate about the #metoo movement. She admits she consensually went to his hotel room but was “too drunk to consent”. She also admits she had multiple consensual sexual relations w/ him after her alleged rape. PERISCOPE SOON.

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) October 9, 2019

 

The woman accusing Matt Lauer of rape, has acknowledged that she later went on to have a consensual sexual relationship with him. So I don't know if that's Stockholm Syndrome or what. I do believe he violated her. So then why later willingly sleep with him? #TheView

— Rain Goddess (@GivLivLuvGro) October 9, 2019

 

I'm sorry…but if a woman's believes she's been raped…on what earth would you continue a consensual relationship either, often with encounters you yourself initiate. Lauer is a prick and deserves to be fired from much about what I read, but this particular allegation is off. https://t.co/kcEryv3mwM

— Dragris (@DragHris) October 9, 2019

 

Ronan Farrow's book is set to be released on October 15.