The Susan Sequel

Say it isn’t so Matt! It’s a sad, sad day in the Petosa household.  I’ve been a Matt Lauer fan since 1997, the Today show being a staple in my regular, morning routine. And while I didn’t always agree with Matt (his fluff questioning of Trump during the 2016 election was both pathetic and infuriating), I still loved watching him daily on Today. From what I can gather, we are all a little bit shaken by the abrupt announcement this morning that NBC had swiftly fired him overnight for sexual harassment. And, assuming the allegations are true (which I’m willing to conclude they are), NBC made the right call. He had to go and he had to go both quickly and definitively. That being said, anyone else feel like their brains cannot process much more of this? Every day, every channel…. someone new is taken down, their career in shambles.  It’s depressing, it’s destructive and yet, it’s so, so very necessary!

This necessity doesn’t make the whole process any less disheartening. As one friend said to me this morning, learning about Matt’s firing feels like a death and, if we’re being honest with ourselves, doesn’t it? We allow celebrities into our homes and our hearts, we trust them to bring us both pleasure and important information. We don’t physically “know” them, but we are invested in them and feel like we do (my mother talks about celebrities like they’re her friends… we’ve been joking all day that she’s waiting for Matt to call her). It’s a rather strange and complicated relationship. However, this doesn’t change the basic facts: fame not withstanding, men must be held accountable for their actions. And, I, for one, wonder how many men are now questioning their own past actions and wondering if they too are the next ones to be held accountable.

My kids and I “met” Matt Lauer once. We woke up super early one frigid morning in New York City and schlepped with our friends to Rockefeller Center to watch Today being filmed. It was freezing cold that morning but we took our yellow poster board signs and elbowed our way into a prime viewing location (next to Dean & DeLuca for the hot chocolate). The anchors socialize during the commercial breaks and Matt walked around with them but wasn’t as social as the others. And although we nearly died of frostbite, it was fun seeing them and being that close (my kids got selfies with Savannah and Al, both super nice). Now, these photos will just be memories from Matt’s pre-scandal days, as we talk about what used to be (like the time, many moons ago, that my mom met OJ Simpson in the Denver airport).

On a more personal note, has anyone had a discussion with their kids about all the sexual harassment allegations? And if so, what did you say? As a mother of a son, the whole concept freaks me out (like I didn’t already survive middle school and driving lessons). I like to believe that I have taught my son to be respectful and decent to all women; to treat a woman with the same deference that he would treat a man. However, I increasingly feel the need to have a serious discussion with him on the topic; to reinforce these societal & moral guidelines (I can literally hear him groaning as I write this). But sadly, in today’s society, we have to teach our kids to live to a higher standard, that is, one beyond reproach. Anyone can make accusations, so he has to know that he cannot, under any circumstances, give someone a reason to do so (I hear my inner control freak coming out here). I seriously hate that we have to feel this way but I think I would be foolish to not have the discussion (sorry Sam).

Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention Donald Trump (aka, The Teflon Don). Sadly, there are at least 19 women that have accused him of sexual harassment and, as has been well documented, he was recorded discussing how he violates women. This morning, after the allegations against Matt Lauer were made public, Trump tweeted: “wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace’”.  His blatant hypocrisy literally took my breath away.  Look what our society has become: an avowed, sexual predator is publicly admonishing another sexual predator (from the White House, no less). Men are losing their jobs left and right (justifiably so) and Trump sits, passing judgment on men of similar character. Without question, it couldn’t have been easy for NBC to fire one of its biggest stars; tough choices are called that for a reason.  As the star of The Apprentice, Trump was also an NBC employee. This begs the question as to whether NBC has the responsibility to investigate any sexual harassment claims made during his tenure at the network? Regardless of whether NBC or Congress leads the charge, Donald Trump must be held accountable to the same standards as all these other men, despite his current job title.

My political tangent aside, the whole climate of sexual harassment is like watching a train wreck (it’s gruesome & horrific, but I can’t seem to look away). However, if the Today show is curious as to whom I think should replace Matt, I am happy to nominate Willie Geist as my preferred candidate (of course, assuming Al Roker doesn’t want the job). Wishful thinking!