Nevils: Lauer's Power, My Silence

0:00On May 1st, Brooke Nevels, the former NBC staffer who accused Matt Lauer of sexual assault back in 2014, opened up emotionally on CNN. This week, she says that today's show anchor annually raped her in his Sochi Olympics hotel room while she was too drunk to consent. Her formal complaint in 2017 got him fired from NBC within 24 hours. She explained why she did not report her right away, saying her job was to keep the talent unhappy, so she tried to smooth things over. That led to more sexual encounters back in New York, including times in his dressing room where she felt she could not say no. Nevels got choked up describing the power imbalance, noting Lauer was untouchable at NBC, like he could do no wrong. She thought she was fixing the situation each time, but really felt trapped and started blaming herself for the abuse. In her new book, Unspeakable Things, she dives deeper into the silence and shame. While researching, she found an equal employment opportunity commissioned report warning about

1:00superstar harassers, those rain makers companies protect. No matter what, her story sparked others to come forward, shining a light on how big networks handle top talent. It is a raw reminder of the costs when power goes unchecked in these high stakes worlds. This has been Entertainment and Celebrity News, today powered by AI.