Matt Lauer, the fallen king of morning television whose 2017 ouster from Today amid a storm of sexual misconduct allegations sent shockwaves through the industry, has risen from exile with a $150 million lawsuit against NBCUniversal that’s not just a bid for bucks but a blistering bid to “rewrite my story,” accusing the network of “cutting him off without due process” in a “scandal sham” fueled by fear, image, and corporate politics. Filed on September 30, 2025, in New York Supreme Court, the suit – represented by high-powered attorney Tom Girardi – targets NBC execs like Noah Oppenheim and Don Lemon, alleging a “flawed investigation” that “ignored major inconsistencies” in accuser Brooke Nevils’ claims of assault during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, a “he said, she said” that Lauer calls “coerced and contradicted.”

The “revenge rampage”? Relentless: Lauer, 67, who co-anchored Today for 23 years (5.2M peak viewers) and pocketed $20M annually, claims the network’s “swift sword” – fired November 29, 2017, after Nevils’ Variety leak – was a “PR purge” to appease #MeToo, ignoring “texts showing consent” and “witnesses who saw no coercion.” “They cut me off without a hearing – now I demand my day in court,” Lauer said in a statement, his voice a velvet vow of victory over void, the “$150M” a mix of lost wages (£100M), “reputation ruin” (£40M), and “emotional distress” (£10M). Nevils, now a CNN exec producer, counters with a 2019 statement: “This is revictimization – facts don’t fade.”

The “due process denied”? Diabolical: Lauer’s filings detail a “flawed” probe by NBC’s “internal hit squad,” alleging “ignored” alibis and “coerced” confessions, the “scandal sham” a sham to shield stars like Matt Lauer from the “fear factor” of Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill (October 2019, £1M sales). “Corporate politics killed my career – now politics pays,” Lauer seethed, the suit a salvo in a post-#MeToo minefield where Johnny Depp’s 2022 Amber Heard win (£10M) emboldens “rewrite” warriors.

The “NBC braces”? A bunker mentality: Execs like Oppenheim (“Today” EP, 2018-2023) face “public reckoning,” the network’s Q4 ads at risk (£200M dip projected), fans fracturing: #JusticeForLauer 2.8M posts (“Due process!”) vs. #NBCSurvivors 3.5M (“Revictimization!”). Lemon’s “savage” 2024 book Meet the Press (£5M sales) shades the saga, Farrow’s “facts” a foil.

This isn’t lawsuit litany; it’s a legacy lash-back, Lauer’s “$150M” a manifesto for the maligned. The rampage? Relentless. September 30? Not filing – a flare-up. Fans? Flooded with fire. The world’s watching – whispering “what next?” The story? Shattered, but stirring.