Matt Lauer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matt Lauer
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg)
Lauer in 2014
|
|
| Born |
Matthew Todd Lauer
December 30, 1957 New York City, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | Ohio University |
| Occupation | Former television journalist |
| Years active | 1979–2017 |
| Television | Today co-anchor (1997–2017) Today news anchor (1994–1997) |
| Spouse(s) |
Nancy Alspaugh
(m. 1982; div. 1989)Annette Roque
(m. 1998; div. 2019) |
| Children | 3 |
Matthew Todd Lauer, born on December 30, 1957, is a former American television journalist. He is widely known for his work with NBC News. Lauer started his career in local news in New York City. Later, he gained national attention as the news anchor for NBC's Today show from 1994 to 1997.
In 1997, Lauer became a co-anchor of Today, a role he held until 2017. He also often contributed to the evening news show Dateline NBC. During his time at NBC, Lauer hosted the yearly Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He also co-hosted the opening ceremonies for several Olympic Games. In November 2017, NBC ended his contract due to concerns about his behavior at work.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Matt Lauer was born in New York City. His mother, Marilyn Lauer, owned a boutique. His father, Jay Robert Lauer, was an executive at a bicycle company.
Lauer's father had Romanian Jewish family roots. His mother was not Jewish. Lauer has shared that he was not raised in any specific religion.
Education and First Jobs
Lauer attended Ohio University. He earned his college degree from the school's Scripps College of Communication in 1997. He had actually left the university in 1979 to start his television career.
His first job in TV was as a producer for a noon newscast at WOWK-TV in Huntington, West Virginia. By 1980, Lauer was reporting on air for the station's evening news.
Moving Up in Television
After his start in West Virginia, Lauer worked in various cities on the East Coast. He hosted many daily information and talk shows. He was a co-host for PM Magazine in Richmond, Virginia (1980–1981), Providence, Rhode Island (1981–1984), and New York City (1984–1986).
After PM Magazine ended in New York, Lauer co-hosted Made in New York. This show ran for about fifteen weeks. He then got his first national TV experience on ABC's Fame, Fortune and Romance. This show was a spin-off of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
Lauer then returned to local TV. He hosted shows in Philadelphia and Boston from 1987 to 1989. He also reported for ESPN and anchored entertainment news for HBO.
Hosting in New York City
In 1989, Lauer came back to New York City to work at WWOR-TV. He hosted 9 Broadcast Plaza, a three-hour live interview show. Lauer left this show when it started focusing on "tabloid" guests. He also did not want to read ads live on the air.
During this time, Lauer also hosted Beyond the Screen for Cinemax. This show featured interviews with many celebrities. They talked about upcoming movies like The Godfather Part III and GoodFellas.
In 1990, Lauer hosted a pilot show called Day in Court. It later became Trial Watch and aired on NBC for two seasons. Lauer also filmed a pilot for a bodybuilding show called WBF BodyStars. In 1991, he co-hosted Etc., Etc. on the Travel Channel.
Career at NBC News
Lauer joined NBC in 1992. He became a co-anchor for Today in New York on WNBC, NBC's New York station. The next year, he became a co-anchor for Live at Five. He stayed on Live at Five until 1996.
Joining The Today Show
Lauer's presence on camera led to more chances at NBC News. He often filled in as the newsreader on The Today Show from 1992 to 1993. This helped him join The Today Show full-time in January 1994 as a news anchor. He continued to co-anchor Today in New York and Live at Five at the same time.
Lauer also filled in as co-host for Weekend Today. He also anchored NBC News at Sunrise. He even filled in for Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News. As the Today Show news anchor, Lauer also substituted for Bryant Gumbel. On January 6, 1997, Lauer officially became the co-anchor of Today after Gumbel left.
'Where in the World is Matt Lauer?'
From 1998 to 2011, Lauer took part in a yearly adventure called 'Where in the World is Matt Lauer?'. This segment was on the Today Show during special TV rating periods. It was named after the PBS game show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?.
This segment sent Lauer to many places around the world. He reported on why each location was important. Lauer broadcast from places like Bhutan, Easter Island, the Panama Canal, and the Great Wall of China. In 2011, NBC News paused the segment due to the U.S. economy.
Notable Interviews and Events
Sometimes, Lauer's interviews became quite intense. In June 2005, he had a disagreement with Tom Cruise during an interview. Cruise called Lauer "glib." In December 2008, Cruise said he regretted the exchange.
On June 19, 2007, Lauer interviewed Prince William and Prince Harry. This was on the tenth anniversary of their mother's death, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Between 1998 and 2017, Lauer co-hosted NBC's live coverage of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Lauer also co-hosted the opening ceremonies of several Olympic Games. He co-hosted the opening ceremonies for the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 Olympics.
In April 2012, Lauer signed a new contract with NBC News. It was reported that this contract paid him a large salary each year. In November 2015, Lauer interviewed Charlie Sheen.
On September 8, 2016, Lauer interviewed presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Both interviews received some criticism. Critics felt Lauer focused too much on certain topics for Clinton. They also felt he did not challenge Trump enough on some statements.
On November 30, 2016, it was announced that Lauer had signed another new contract until 2018. On January 6, 2017, Lauer celebrated his 20th anniversary on The Today Show.
Other Work and Appearances
Lauer made several guest appearances on the NBC comedy show 30 Rock. He also appeared as himself on a live episode of Will & Grace in 2006.
In November 2006, Lauer and his daughter, Romy, hosted a Sesame Street DVD show called Sesame Beginnings: Exploring Together. Lauer also hosted The Greatest American on the Discovery Channel. This show used viewer votes to pick the winner.
Lauer was the speaker for the 2009 Class Day at Harvard University on June 3, 2009.
Lauer appeared as himself in the 2009 film Land of the Lost and the 2011 film The Beaver. He also voiced a reporter in the animated movie Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey! Lauer appeared in other films like Drew Peterson: Untouchable and Tower Heist in 2011. Archival footage of Lauer was shown in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, and the 2017 films Lady Bird and I, Tonya. He also appeared as himself in the TV movies Sharknado 2: The Second One and Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!
Career Timeline
- 1979–1980: News producer and reporter, WOWK-TV, Huntington, West Virginia
- 1980–1981: Co-host, PM Magazine, WXEX-TV, Richmond, Virginia
- 1981–1984: Co-host, PM Magazine, WJAR-TV, Providence, Rhode Island
- 1984–1986: Co-host, PM Magazine, WNEW-TV, New York City
- 1986: Co-host, Made in New York, WNYW, New York City
- 1986–1987: Co-host, Fame, Fortune and Romance, ABC
- 1987–1988: Host, Live on City Line, WCAU-TV, Philadelphia
- 1988–1989: Host, Talk of the Town, WNEV-TV, Boston
- 1989–1991: Co-host, 9 Broadcast Plaza, WWOR-TV, Secaucus, New Jersey
- 1992–1996: Various positions at WNBC-TV, New York City
- September 1992 – September 1994: Today in New York co-anchor
- August 1993 – September 1996: early evening newscast Live at Five co-anchor
- 1992–2017: Various positions at NBC News, New York City
- 1992–1997: fill-in anchor on Weekend Today and NBC News at Sunrise
- 1993–1994: Today fill-in news anchor
- June 13, 1994 – January 3, 1997: Today news anchor
- January 6, 1997 – November 28, 2017: Today co-anchor
- 1997–2017: Dateline NBC contributing anchor
- 1998–2016: Christmas in Rockefeller Center host
- 1998–2017: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade host
- 2011–2013: Rock Center with Brian Williams correspondent
Personal Life
Matt Lauer is the grandson of singer Art Gentry. Lauer was married to television producer Nancy Alspaugh from 1982 to 1989. They did not have children.
He later married Dutch model Annette Roque. They met on a blind date in July 1997. Lauer proposed to Roque after five months, and they married in Bridgehampton, New York on October 3, 1998. They have three children together.
In 2006, Roque filed for divorce but they reconciled weeks later. Lauer and Roque officially divorced on September 7, 2019. This followed nearly two years of separation.
Since his contract ended, Lauer has been living on his farm in New Zealand.
See also
In Spanish: Matt Lauer para niños
