Brooke Nevils Describes Alleged Sexual Assault by Matt Lauer in New Memoir

Brooke Nevils, a former talent assistant on NBC’s Today show, has shared new and graphic details about alleged sexual misconduct by former anchor Matt Lauer in her upcoming memoir.

In Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe, which is scheduled for release on Feb. 3, Nevils recounts an alleged sexual assault that she says took place during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. An excerpt from the book was published this week by The Cut.

Nevils says the incident occurred after she had been drinking with Today co-anchor Meredith Vieira, before Matt Lauer joined them. According to her account, she later went to Lauer’s hotel room and says she was drunk and alone when he pressured her into anal sex. She alleges the encounter caused severe physical injury.

Nevils writes that she woke up the next morning to find blood on her underwear and the hotel bed sheets. She says she was in significant pain and had difficulty walking and sitting afterward. Despite this, she says she did not initially identify the incident as rape.

“I would never have used the word ‘rape’ to describe what had happened,” Nevils writes, explaining that at the time she associated the term with violent attacks by strangers. She says she instead tried to justify the experience and felt ashamed and confused.

Nevils says she felt isolated while in Russia and did not believe NBC would support her over Lauer, who was one of the network’s most powerful figures. She also claims she avoided contacting friends or family because NBC was monitoring employees’ phones for security reasons during the Olympics.

After returning to New York, Nevils alleges that she continued to have sexual encounters with Lauer, including one she initiated herself. She writes that she believed refusing him was not an option due to the power imbalance at work. She also claims she tried multiple times to discuss the alleged assault by email, but says Lauer ignored those messages.

Nevils describes a later encounter in which Lauer allegedly arrived with towels, which she says made her realize he had known about her injury from the first incident. She also claims Lauer told her he preferred anal sex because it was “transgressive.”

NBC News later characterized Nevils’ allegations as involving “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” Nevils says there were several additional encounters, which she now views as part of ongoing abuse.

In a 2019 letter to Variety, Lauer denied raping Nevils and said their relationship was consensual, describing it as an extramarital affair. In a separate statement, he said there was “enough truth” in reports about his behavior to make him feel “embarrassed and ashamed.”

Nevils explains in her book that her long career at NBC — first as a Page and later as a Today producer — made it harder for her to recognize and report the alleged assault. She writes that fear of losing her job and damaging her personal relationships led her to convince herself it was not assault.

It was not until years later, and amid the broader national conversation about sexual misconduct, that Nevils says she was able to label what happened to her as assault.

When she learned that reporters from Variety and The New York Times were investigating Lauer, Nevils decided to file a formal complaint, believing it would remain confidential. Lauer was questioned the next day and fired by NBC News chairman Andrew Lack in 2017. NBC said at the time that Lauer was dismissed within 24 hours of learning of the complaint.

In a statement responding to the renewed allegations, NBC said: “Matt Lauer’s conduct was appalling, horrific and reprehensible. That’s why he was fired within 24 hours of us first learning of the complaint. Our hearts break again for our colleague.”

Following Lauer’s dismissal, several other women came forward with allegations of misconduct. His wife of 19 years, Annette Roque, later filed for divorce. The former anchor has not been charged with any crime.

Nevils says she took a leave of absence from NBC that became permanent and later received inpatient mental health treatment as she struggled with the aftermath of the events she describes in her book.