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Brooke Nevils is recalling the moments before, during and after she was accused of humiliating today host Matt Lauer sexual assault.
“Rape is a word that I rarely use because when you hear the word rape you think of a guy in a ski mask fighting for your life in a dark alley,” Nevills Tell NPR In an interview published Thursday, January 29.
“That’s not the case, most of the time sexual assault happens by someone you know and trust,” she continued. “So we really didn’t have the language to talk about this issue, and we certainly didn’t have it when I reported this issue in 2017.”
at height #MeToo movementNevills accused Lauer, 68, of sexually assaulting her in 2014 while the two were on a mission in Sochi, Russia, reports winter olympics. Nevills further claimed that they continued to have “sexual encounters” upon their return to New York City. Raul was subsequently fired from his work today. In a 2019 open letter, Lauer denied the allegations, claiming the alleged interactions were “completely mutual and consensual.”
Former NBC staffer Brooke Nevils, who accused Matt Lauer of rape in 2017, is opening up about the fallout of her accusation in her upcoming book, “Unspeakable Things.” “The day after I filed my complaint, Matt was questioned by NBC and fired later that evening by NBC News Chairman Andrew Lake. Following his firing, (…)
Nevills took a leave of absence from NBC—a leave that eventually became permanent. Journalists included her accusations Ronan Farrow2019 books Capture and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Plot to Protect the Predators.
“It takes a long time to really process and get to the point where you can talk about it in these terms, which are devastating,” Nevills continued to NPR. “When you say sexual assault, when you say rape, your life changes. You have a target on your back. Everything you say or don’t say becomes evidence.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Nevills shared how she believed her job was the only one at risk after the allegations were made.
Matt Lauer
Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Library/NBCUniversal via Getty Images“When I filed the complaint, I knew who Matt Lauer was,” she explained. “I know what he means to the company. I know what he means to the company.” today show Means something to millions of people, because I’m one of them. This means the world to me. I know what NBC means to me. This is my family. This is my identity. I know what I said violated some code. The only career I thought would end with this was mine. “
She added, “I was okay with that because no matter what the consequences were, I knew that if I didn’t say something, it would continue and I wouldn’t be able to live with it.”
Nevills — who shares her story in her new memoir The Unspeakable: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe – also detailed why she felt it was important to write about her alleged assault.
“It was important to me to acknowledge how complicated and confusing things were, how I got to be in that room in the first place, and how these things really happened,” she said. “Because when we talk about something that’s difficult, painful, I think the human instinct is to make it accessible, simplify it, make it more black and white so it’s easier to talk about.”
She continued, “But the point of talking about it is to acknowledge how devastating and confusing these things are, how quickly it happens, and how you react at the time.”
If you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted, please call National Sexual Assault Hotline Phone: 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). Trained staff will provide confidential, non-judgmental support and local resources to assist with treatment, recovery and more.
