Matt Lauer is said to be settling into his new reality, which involves doing the daily work usually done by wife Annette Roque with at least his youngest son, as Lauer was on Sag Harbor carpool duty this morning. Annette Roque reportedly left the country last week after the news broke that Matt Lauer not only has been cheating but is now being accused of sexual harassment and assault while working at the Today show. After an official complaint to HR at NBC, Matt Lauer was fired immediately after 20 years at NBC.
Reports surfaced that Matt Lauer’s wife, Annette Roque, fled the country last week to avoid the press, and perhaps even Matt Lauer, for the Netherlands, where Roque was born. Page Six had suggested that Annette Roque had taken the two youngest Lauer children, Romy and Thijs with her, but as Thijs was spotted this morning with Matt Lauer, it is being suggested that Roque only took daughter Romy with her to near Amsterdam, where Annette Roque’s mother still lives.
Most people don’t blame Annette Roque, as her marriage is now under the microscope through no fault of her own. But now, it will be curious to see what happens now that Matt Lauer isn’t in it for show.
“Matt needed to stay in the marriage to keep his reputation as America’s nicest dad. He is, in fact, a great, and very doting dad to his kids, but he is also a terrible husband.”
I feel for Matt Lauer's kids having to learn in the most personal, painful way that sexually predatory behavior like their dad's is against decency & #HumanRights.#RespectIsEarned https://t.co/ef3y0Ci3jx
— Oculogyrations (@Oculogyration) November 29, 2017
Page Six says that Matt Lauer was on elementary school carpool duty this morning, driving around Sag Harbor wearing his wedding ring, a black puffy coat, and dark sunglasses while driving a gray Jeep Wrangler. Lauer was seen talking on his cell phone while driving with his son Thijs and picking up another child in North Haven before heading back to Sag Harbor Elementary.
For years, Matt Lauer has lived in New York City during the week while wife Annette Roque lived in the Hamptons with the couple’s three children. Lauer was said to be a mostly weekend dad, though, in a 2006 divorce filing, Annette Roque complained that Lauer was far more interested in his work than in his family.
After Matt Lauer was fired last week by NBC and Roque is said to have packed up and fled the country, the former Today host released an apology statement that sounded very similar to the press statements shared by other men in the entertainment industry who have been accused of sexual harassment or sexual assault.
“There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions. To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this, I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC.”
Guess who's gonna get the house where she actually lived with the kids while Matt was holing up God knows where ?https://t.co/oTPUgSGx5X
— Joni Job (@jj_talking) December 1, 2017
A former Today colleague of Matt Lauer says she doubts that Lauer will attempt a comeback because he was already toying with the idea of retiring to be a part of his children’s daily lives in Sag Harbor, reports People.
“I think he’ll retire. He should anyway. He had made his money and said all he wanted to do is be with the kids and golf. He wanted to run away and live with the money he had made and be with his family. This is definitely not the way he wanted to go out, but I don’t think he feels the need to be on-air like some people, doing specials. I think he’ll have a quiet life and go golfing a ton.”