The "Today" show celebrated a huge milestone on Thursday — its 25th anniversary —by reliving many of the best memories from the popular morning show, but one very prominent past "Today" anchor was noticeably absent from the nearly six-minute montage… Matt Lauer.
NBC has been erasing Matt from its history ever since he was fired in November 2017 for inappropriate sexual workplace behavior. Still, the fact that the disgraced former anchor was MIA raised some eyebrows, especially considering he manned the helm at "Today" for more than 20 years, or 80 percent of the show's existence.
"When TODAY first moved to Studio 1A in 1994, it became a place where the team could try new things and connect with viewers," a tweet said alongside the celebratory video. "Take a look back on some of those special moments over the past 25 years."
"Today," or so it seems, would have you believe that Matt was not a part of those "special moments." However, Katie Couric, Bryant Gumbel, Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Lester Holt and Carson Daly all make the cut, despite most of them not being on the show for nearly as long as Matt.
Perhaps it's not surprising that Matt's highlights ended up in the cutting room floor considering the extent of Matt's alleged behavior — women claimed he trapped them in his office and made sexual advances toward them, often scolding them if they objected; some allege that he gave them sexually explicit gifts; he was allegedly known for making lewd comments verbally or over text messages.
Fans, though, were quick to notice him missing in the montage.
"Erasing history guys? There was a 'Matt Lauer' there for a couple of years," one Twitter user said.
Another added, "I have to say, the Today Show editing of their 25 years of …something is a master class in the removal of Matt Lauer. I actually forgot he was part of the show."
Interestingly, former anchor Ann Curry, who claims she alerted NBC to Matt's alleged sexual misconduct in 2012, was also nowhere to be seen in the video. Matt was said to have squeezed her out of the show and essentially orchestrated her firing.