Brooke Nevils Claims Matt Lauer Raped Her At The 2014 Sochi Olympics
The allegations are horrifying.
Getty Brooke Nevils is a former NBC employee who claims Matt Lauer raped her at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Lauer was fired two years ago amid allegations that an employee accused him of "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace." That employee has been reveealed to be Brooke Nevils. In Ronan Farrow's new book Catch & Kill, the author reveals the details of Nevils' encounter with Lauer. She told him that she bled for days after the rape, that it derailed her life, and that she eventually left NBC and received a seven figure settlement, presumably for her silence. Who is Brooke Nevils?
1. Background on Brooke
Brooke Nevils, 35, grew up in Chesterfield, Missouri. She graduated from Parkway West High School in 2003. She attended Johns Hopkins University and graduated with a degree in political science and writing seminars in 2007. After graduation, she moved to New York City and got a job as a page for NBC. She became the personal assistant to then-Today Show host Meredith Vieira for 10 months. She rose through the ranks to become a TV producer on Today, according to Variety. She worked as a producer on Vieira's 2014 show A Leap of Faith: A Meredith Vieira Special. Nevils was nominated for an Emmy for that show. Since that time, Nevils has racked up producing credits on Headlines, 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After and Royal Wedding Watch.
2. Her accusation
Variety reports that Nevils worked with former Today Show anchor Meredith Vieira on the 2014 Sochi Olympics coverage. One night Nevils and Vieira were having drinks at the hotel bar and Lauer joined them. At the end of the night, Nevils, who was drunk (she reportedly had six shots of vodka), went to Lauer's hotel room twice. The first time was to get her press credential back; allegedly, Lauer had taken it with him when he left as a joke. The second time she went to his room because he invited her. When she was in his room the second time he pushed her against the door and kissed her. Next, he allegedly pushed her onto the bed on her stomach and asked her if she liked anal sex. She was in the middle of telling him she didn't want this when he allegedly penetrated her anal-ly without any lubrication.
3. She continued to have a relationship with him
Nevils bears a fair amount of guilt for the fact that she continued to see Lauer after he raped her and continued to have consensual sex with him. In Farrow's book, she characterizes their relationship as transactional. She continued to see the man who assaulted her simply because she was terrified of the power he held over her career.
4. Matt speaks out
After Nevils' tale of her rape was made public, Lauer wrote an angry letter in which he sounds like a petulant toddler and does a fair about of victim-shaming. He wrote:
"Over the past two years people have asked why I have not spoken out to defend myself more vigorously against some of the false and salacious allegations leveled at me. It is a fair question and the answer is deeply personal. Despite my desire to set the record straight and confront the individuals making false allegations, I wanted nothing less than to create more headlines my kids would read and a new gathering of photographers at the end of our driveway. So I decided to just stay quiet and work on repairing my relationship with the people I love. It has been the most important full-time job I have ever had. But my silence has been a mistake. Today, nearly two years after I was fired by NBC, old stories are being recycled, titillating details are being added, and a dangerous and defamatory new allegation is being made. All are being spread as part of a promotional effort to sell a book. It’s outrageous. So, after not speaking out to protect my children, it is now with their full support I say 'enough.' In a new book, it is alleged that an extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter I have previously admitted having, was in fact an assault. It is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense."
5. Nevils has thoughts on Lauer's letter
After Matt Lauer's open letter, Nevils had some thoughts on it. She released a statement saying: "There’s the Matt Lauer that millions of Americans watched on TV every morning for two decades, and there is the Matt Lauer who this morning attempted to bully a former colleague into silence. His open letter was a case study in victim-blaming. I am not afraid of him now. Regardless of his threats, bullying, and the shaming and predatory tactics I knew he would (and now has) tried to use against me."
6. Ann Curry believes Nevils
Anne Curry, former co-host of the Today Show, took to Twitter to voice her support for Brooke Nevils. She wrote: "Brooke Nevils is a credible young woman of good character. She came to NBC News an eager and guileless 20-something, brimming with talent. I believe she is telling the truth. And that breaks my heart."
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based writer and editor covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.