Al Roker Still Friends With Matt Lauer, Exchanging Christmas Gifts Years After 'Today' Show Scandal: Report
Matt Lauer and Al Roker's friendship remains strong despite scandal-ridden past.
Odd couple Matt Lauer and Al Roker are reportedly continuing their long-standing holiday tradition of exchanging gifts and well wishes, RadarOnline.com as learned.
The holiday spirit between the old friends has carried on despite disgraced Lauer, 65, becoming an instant pariah in the TV industry after being ousted from The Today Show in 2017 amid a sex scandal.
Lauer was fired from NBC in 2017 after a female employee accused him of sexual harassment.
Sunny weatherman Roker, 69, has apparently bucked the tide of cutting the former Today co-host loose by continuing to be a loyal friend.
"Matt and Al have been getting together every holiday — and this year is no exception," a source said according to the National Enquirer.
"They are scheduled to meet in Manhattan to exchange gifts and revel in the holiday spirit, continuing a yearly tradition," the insider noted.
Lauer was accused of sexual assault by a former NBC colleague in 2019.
While others in the industry won't associate with scandal-ridden Lauer, who insists he did nothing wrong, sources told the outlet that Roker has remained a steadfast friend.
"Al hates the sin but not the sinner," a mutual friend said. "Matt understands the negative perception surrounding him. He's aware being seen with him isn't a good look."
A mutual friend said Lauer understands being his friend is 'not a good look' for Roker.
"That's why he appreciates Al's friendship all the more — since many others chose to walk away," the close pal added.
RadarOnline.com has reached out to reps for both Roker and Lauer for comment.
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Sources said Lauer 'appreciates Al's friendship all the more' because of former NBC co-workers who cut ties.
Back in November 207, NBC announced that Lauer had been fired after being accused of sexual harassment by an unidentified female employee.
Emmy-award winning producer and former NBC employee Brooke Nevils alleged in Ronan Farrow's 2019 book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, that the former Today Show co-host raped her in his hotel room during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Nevils, who described the alleged incident in detail, said that she reported the incident to her former network.
Lauer denied raping Nevil in 2019 and instead claimed he had an "extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter" with her in a letter to Variety.
Nevil explained to Farrow that her identity was kept anonymous at the time at her request. She revealed her identity as Lauer's accuser for the first time in 2019.
"It was nonconsensual in the sense that I was too drunk to consent," Nevil told Farrow of the alleged rape. "It was nonconsensual in that I said, multiple times, that I didn't want to have anal sex."
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