It’s been over eight years sinceMeredith Vieiraleft theTodayshow, but in 2017, after her former co-hostMatt Lauerwas fired forallegations of sexual misconduct, Vieira was quickly forced to contend with her former job.
Learning the news of Lauer’s firing “was like a gut punch,” Vieira, 65, recalls to PEOPLE. “I was [in L.A.] and my phone started going off at 4 a.m. I didn’t know what to make of all of it. It was a shock.”
And Vieira, who is now hosting25 Words or Less, Fox’s syndicated game show, says the news was especially painful given her close relationship with her former colleague, with whom she had worked for five years.
Peter Kramer/NBC/NBC NewsWire/Getty
“Matt and I were very close,” says Vieira. “He was very kind to me. We both have similar senses of humor. We’re both sarcastic.”
And when it comes to her own experience with Lauer, 61, Vieira says that, despite a viral clip that showedLauer commenting on her backsidewhen they worked together, she never felt unsafe on set.
“There was totally joking around,” Vieira says. “But I never took it as anything. We were like brother and sister.”
Looking back, “you could take [that moment] and go, ‘Look, now can’t you see what you were dealing with?’ But I didn’t feel that at all.”
Amanda Friedman
And ultimately, “it’s so complicated,” says Vieira, who declines to define her current relationship with Lauer. “The whole thing is just sad. And it’s been rough in a lot of places with a lot of people.”
Now, Vieira is focused on the future, and that includes25 Words or Less, in which a contestant tries to have his or her two celebrity partners (Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow and Chelsea Handler are on board) to guess 10 answers in 25 words or less.
“It’s fun,” says Vieira. “I can do a talk show or a game show. It’s all just adding to my repertoire!”
25 Words or Lesspremieres Sept. 16 (check local listings).
source: people.com
