Matt Lauer was the topic of the night for most of the late-night TV hosts on Wednesday, November 29, after NBC News fired the Today show veteran, 59, for alleged sexual misconduct.
Jimmy Kimmel kicked off his ABC show by saying, “Matt Lauer was let go from the Today show this morning because of unspecified allegations of sexual harassment. This morning, my wife [Molly McNearney] looked at her phone and she went, ‘Oh, God, Matt Lauer!’ which, of course, I assumed he was dead. And so, I guess this is better. I don’t know.”
On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert joked that he is “one of the few men still allowed on television.” He went on to mock President Donald Trump’s response to Lauer’s firing after the 71-year-old tweeted on Wednesday morning that NBC News reports “so much Fake News.” Referencing previous sexual misconduct allegations against Trump (which the president has denied), Colbert, 53, responded, “By ‘fake news’ do you mean ‘more than a dozen women accusing Trump of improper conduct or sexual assault?’ Is that what you mean?”
The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah applauded Lauer’s Today show cohosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb for reporting the news about their former colleague’s termination just moments after finding out. “The stage manager was just like, ‘Three, two, we fired Matt Lauer, and we’re live,” he quipped.
Over on NBC, Jimmy Fallon opened The Tonight Show by noting Wednesday night’s lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in New York City. “Also getting lit tonight, the HR rep over at the Today show,” he said. “If you’re wondering where in the world is Matt Lauer, he’s probably at a bar with Charlie Rose.” (Rose was terminated by CBS earlier this month amid sexual harassment allegations.)
However, there was one late-night host who was unable to comment on the news. Seth Meyers of NBC’s Late Night tweeted earlier on Wednesday that his show had been taped the day prior due to the Rockefeller Center tree lighting near his studio.
