Matt Lauer
Nan Palmero/Flickr CC BY 4.0

Brooke Nevils is one of the women that accused disgraced news anchor Matt Lauer of rape. Years ago, the former NBC producer claimed that the sexual assualt by Lauer took place in 2014 while they were in Russia covering the Winter Olympics. At the time, Lauer denied the allegations and said that whatever happened between them was purely consensual.

Following her allegations, Nevils lived a quiet life away from the cameras. But behind closed doors, she was busy working on her upcoming memoir Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe. The book details the tragic incident that took place using her own words.

Rape vs Sexual Assault

During her interview with NPR, Nevils highlighted two important words related to Lauer's alleged evil deed starting off with the term 'rape.' In her complaint from years ago, Nevils referred to the incident as 'sexual assault' even if it appeared to technically be 'rape.' She said that it's a word that she hardly ever used.

'Because when you hear the word rape, you think of a guy in a ski mask in the dark alley and fighting for your life,' she said.

However, Nevils knew who Lauer was and was also working with him closely at the time.

'So we don't really have language to talk about this and we certainly didn't in 2017 when I was reporting it,' she added.

Not Consensual

Following her allegations, Lauer released a statement saying that none of them were true. The news anchor also claimed that what transpired between him and Nevils was consensual and mutual. Nevils is taking offense with Lauer's choice of words, which she explained in detail during her recent interview.

Nevils explained that consent and agreement do not mean the same because when one person has more power than the other, this could simply mean submission. Nevils also said that it's not uncommon for reporters and producers to be invited into the hotel rooms of hosts and anchors. However, she didn't know that something traumatic would take place during that time.

'When your job is to work with the talent, when these are people who have to be kept happy, their opinion of you can make or break your career. Annoying them can mean you're never allowed on a set again — that changes the dynamic of every single interaction that you have,' she said.

Nevils added that people in power know that they are in power. So, when they attention, those that receive it feel that they are lucky to have even been noticed by them.

Where is Matt Lauer Now?

While Nevils is busy promoting her memoir and sharing her story, not much is known about Lauer. According to People, Lauer is living a quiet life in Manhattan. The former Today host was fired from the show by NBC executives amid sexual assault allegations. Other than Nevils, several other women also came forward with their complaints. However, some of them didn't want their identities to be made public.

Two years after the allegations first made headlines, Lauer's wife, Annette Roque, filed for divorce. After the split was finalised, Lauer started dating businesswoman Shamin Abas.

Writer's pick