Details About The Rumor That Matt Lauer Fathered Two Secret Children While He Was Married To Annette Roque
An NBC insider believes he did.
Sam Aronov / Shutterstock In 2017, new details surfaced about the rumor that former Today Show host Matt Lauer had allegedly fathered two kids with two different women while still married to Annette Roque.
An insider had claimed that two unidentified women had given birth and claimed Lauer, 62, to be the father.
Lauer used to be the host of Today until he was fired in November 2017 over sexual assault allegations.
Did Matt Lauer have a love child when allegedly cheating on his wife?
At the time, the NBC insider had said that “all of Matt’s secrets are coming back to haunt him, and the most damaging one is the one he’s terrified of facing: that he has children out there with other women."
However, it doesn't seem to be too much of a secret because, according to the insider, it was "a much-discussed topic for years" at NBC.
Though the women were not named, the insider said the fact he has two children out there with women other than his wife was known at NBC. It was also not specified how old these children would be.
“The running joke was, ‘How many apartments is Matt renting for his girlfriends?’” the insider said.
Another inside source said a former lover of Lauer’s left a pretty foul message on his dressing room mirror after their relationship didn’t end so well. The message read, “You f***ed me!”
Lauer’s rep denied the claim, saying it was “completely and provably false.”
The former host had been married to his wife, Annette, for 19 years, but their marriage was over after the accusations came out.
At the time, Annette’s father, Henri Roque, said in an interview that the couple was not going to stay together.
“I have no words for her husband,” Roque said. “What he has done is bad. Everybody feels betrayed. She is not going to stay with him and work it out. They are not together trying to work it out.”
Their divorce was finalized last fall. A source said, “It’s final. They are both focused on their three children.”
Lauer was fired from NBC in late November 2017 for sexual misconduct toward a colleague in 2014.
NBC News president Andrew Lack said he “received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.”
Lauer responded to the allegations against him, replying, “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.”
His wife had reportedly already left him at the time and had taken off her wedding ring.
She and Lauer had been photographed in their Hamptons home, and Roque was bearing a ring-less finger. The two lived in the Hamptons with their three children, Jack, 18, Romy, 16, and Thijs, 13.
“Matt is doing his best to be a good, present father for his kids during this challenging time,” a source had said at the time.
The source had also said that Roque was going to wait to file for divorce for their children’s sakes: “Annette feels it is important for her children that the family stays together during this crisis with all of the accusations swirling around their father. Since Matt was fired, their home has been a tense environment and Annette is going to wait out the storm before moving on.”
However, the mystery surrounding Lauer's alleged love child has never been solved.
There was even speculation that one of the alleged mothers may have been his former co-worker, Natalie Morales.
This was fueled by rumors that Lauer and Morales had an affair. However, they both denied these rumors. At the time,
Morales said, “There is absolutely no truth to this completely absurd story. It is damaging, hurtful and extremely sexist. I have proven myself in all aspects of my job as a news professional and journalist, and am adding to my role, taking on three jobs with Access Hollywood Live and Access Hollywood, in addition to Today. This move was dictated by me and my desire to grow in my career. Any insinuations beyond that are uninformed.”
Lauer also made a statement, saying, “Every aspect of this story is untrue, and it’s frankly sad that someone would tell lies to harm everyone involved.”
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in December 2017 and was updated with the latest information.