Matt Lauer Accuser Ended up 'In A Psych Ward'

Matt Lauer in 2017 on TODAY Set

Brooke Nevils, a former Today show producer, details the devastating personal toll of accusing Matt Lauer of sexual misconduct in her upcoming book Unspeakable Things, out February 3.

In an excerpt published in The Cut, Nevils describes how coming forward led to intense media scrutiny, workplace fallout, severe mental health struggles, and suicidal thoughts. She ultimately left NBC, entered psychiatric treatment, and spent years rebuilding her life, now married with two children, while questioning the effectiveness of how society handles sexual assault allegations.

Nevils writes that reporting Lauer’s alleged abuse, beginning with an claimed assault at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and followed by several unconsensual encounters, resulted in his firing the day after her complaint on November 29, 2017. The swift announcement triggered a wave of additional accusations against Lauer in outlets like The New York Times and Variety.

She soon faced invasive outreach: investigative reporters texting her personal phone, and a tabloid contacting co-workers at 30 Rock, labeling her as Lauer’s “mistress who’d gotten him fired.” Nevils says she spiraled into compulsive behavior, paranoia, and heavy drinking, barely recognizing herself. “I felt I’d ruined everything, hurt and embarrassed everyone I loved,” she recalls. 

She later checked into a psychiatric ward, feeling “so worthless and damaged that the world would be better off without me.”

The pain and confusion following the fallout inspired Nevils to write Unspeakable Things. Using her journalism background, she crafted “the book about sexual harassment and assault that I wish had existed for me,” a process that helped her painstakingly rebuild her life.

Unspeakable Things arrives in bookstores on February 3.