Yesterday morning, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb broke the news that Matt Lauer had been fired for “inappropriate sexual behavior.†Later that day, various late-night hosts took the time to sound off on Lauer’s firing, and the larger trend of powerful men committing sexual harassment. Seth Meyers, who had to tape his show in advance of the Rockefeller Center tree lighting, noted on Twitter that he wouldn’t be able to comment on any of the day’s news. James Corden focused on a separate issue, Donald Trump’s decision to retweet racist videos from a British far-right group. As for the rest:
Jimmy Fallon
“The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree was lit tonight,†Fallon began, before swerving into a Lauer joke: “Also getting lit tonight over at the Today show.â€Â “If you were wondering where in the world is Matt Lauer, he is probably at a bar with Charlie Rose,†Fallon said. He pointed out that Lauer was one of the latest men to get fired for inappropriate behavior, or “as one guy put it,†and at this point Fallon adopted a Trump voice, “is it hot in here?â€
Jimmy Kimmel
“My wife looked at her phone and went, ‘Oh my God, Matt Lauer,’ which of course I assumed he was dead,†Kimmel said. “I guess this is better, I don’t know.†Kimmel continued on with jokes about Garrison Keillor, who was let go from Minnesota Public Radio after harassment claims, and also wondered what the future of the Today show might hold. “As far as Matt Lauer goes, what happens now?†Kimmel said. “Does he have to do an emotional sit-down interview with himself?â€
Stephen Colbert
“I am one of the few men still allowed on television, because today Matt Lauer was let go from NBC’s morning show the Today show, this morning today,†Colbert said. “Lauer was fired due to inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace, not to be confused with appropriate sexual behavior in the workplace, because that does not exist.†Colbert pointed out that we should have seen that Lauer had a strange obsession with women, just judging by any of his actual Halloween costumes. “Donald Trump weighed in on the Lauer story, Tweeting ‘wow,’†Colbert said. “That’s like if the first draft of the Gettysburg Address was ‘Holy guacamole, this war sucks.’â€
Trevor Noah
“It’s so shit for women, because no matter how or where it happens, you’re losing,†Noah said. “Either it’s happening to you, or it’s your co-worker who’s accused and now it’s your show that’s affected.†Noah pointed out how it’s especially hard for women like Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, who had to deliver the news of Lauer’s firing immediately after learning about it, with no time to process. “So, how many newspeople is this now?†Noah wondered. “There was Bill O’Reilly, Charlie Rose, Mark Halperin … Soon they’ll have enough guys to start their own perv news network.â€