COMEBACK CLAIM Don Lemon Says Matt Lauer Could RETURN to Media After S3X Assault Allegations: ‘The Public MISSES Him’

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has stirred conversation by suggesting that Matt Lauer, the former Today Show host who was dismissed amid serious s3xual misconduct allegations, could potentially make a return to the public eye. Lauer, once a staple of morning television, was abruptly fired in 2017 following multiple accusations of inappropriate workplace behavior, which he has largely denied. In recent comments, Don Lemon hinted that despite the controversy surrounding Lauer’s exit, there may still be a path forward for redemption, adding that public figures have made comebacks from scandal before. The statement has drawn mixed reactions, with some viewers agreeing that time and accountability can allow for second chances, while others remain firmly opposed to the idea of his return to television. Whether or not Lauer ever steps back into the spotlight, the conversation has reignited debates about cancel culture, accountability, and rehabilitation in the media industry.

Don Lemon speculates that Matt Lauer could have a comeback in the future.

Don Lemon and Matt Lauer

The former CNN host went on Hollywood Raw Podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn on Wednesday, January 22 and discussed the former Today show anchor’s future since being let go eight years ago due to s3xual assault allegations. Don was asked if he thought Matt could successfully make a return to the industry and Don shared that he believed his friend could: “I think that if he could come back to digital, he can set his own course.”

 

“I only got to know Matt after, you know, the whole situation happened, because we live in the same town and we have mutual friends,” Don continued. “Whenever I see Matt out and about — or you know, if we go out to dinner, my husband and I go out to dinner with him and his fiancée — and people love him.”

 

“Women love him! They’re like, ‘Man, oh my God, can I get a picture? I love you. I miss you on television.’ I think the public loves him. The public misses him, but it’s just the… it’s the people inside the business who are afraid,” Don added.

Don Lemon

Don and Matt are friends (Image: Getty Images)
Matt was fired from Today in 2017 after a former NBC employee Brooke Nevils alleged he s3xually assaulted her at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The alleged s3xual assault was written about in Ronan Farrow’s 2019 book about the #MeToo movement specifically disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Matt denied the allegations and soon after the initial allegation, various women came forward with their own s3xual misconduct claims against him.

Matt had addressed those s3xual misconduct allegations with, saying, “Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”

Don mentioned that he thought Matt could have a better possibility at coming back to the industry in the era of Donald Truwp’s reelection. Truwp has also been accused of s3xual assault as well as harassment and was found liable of s3xually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll in 1996.

“Maybe in this whole Truwp era, when canceled is over, I don’t know, maybe there is a way that he’ll come back,” the 58-year-old remarked. “I think it’s more the people who are inside of the business who are concerned about, you know, what happened with Matt.”

 

“I’ll put it this way. I think the general public would accept Matt back. And I think people would watch him and I think the ratings would be great,” He continued.

TODAY -- Pictured: Matt Lauer on Thursday Nov.16, 2017 -- (Photo by: Zach Pagano/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Matt was accused of s3xual assault and s3xual misconduct
In response to a question about Matt’s allegation and if he was “unfairly kicked out of Hollywood,” Don said, “I don’t know anything about what happened, I know nothing about that at all.” He went on to say that he was answering the podcast hosts’ question about knowing him and his talent which Don said Matt is a “talented person.”

 

“Women can feel the way that they feel and I understand that but that’s their business. I know when I’m out with him, everybody loves Matt, and everybody flocks to Matt and everyone wants a picture and everyone says ‘I miss you and we wanna see you back on television.’ I hear it every time,” Don concluded.

Matt had attended the wedding of Don and his longtime partner, Tim Malone in 2024 which was a rare public appearance for the fired anchor. Don was also fired from CNN in 2023 after a Variety report of colleagues and insiders accusing Don of misogyny and s3xist behavior.

 

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