From Matt Lauer to Harvey Weinstein, the world has been rocked by sexual harassment allegations and revelations. And while there’s no telling whether there are more shocks to come, what’s very clear is that we still have a lot of work to do as a society to make the workplace and the world in general a safer place for everyone. Through the experiences of others there are so many lessons we can learn about missteps we’ve made and how we can correct them. Here are top lessons we can learn from the #MeToo campaign.
Victims Risk
Their Reputations When They Come Forward
Whether we want to admit it or not, the things people who are brave enough to share on the workplace abuse they experienced or the fraud in the companies face is what keeps so many silent. They are humiliated, shunned and even harassed. In the case of sexual harassment, people tend to blame the victim and try to discredit them by any means necessary. This means that before the perpetrator can even face justice, the victim or witness is put through the ringer for just telling the truth. It’s so important than the men and woman who come forward in order to have protection and support of people around them. According to JF Melton Law, “Whistleblowers take great risks, so getting a reward for that risk is key. It is imperative that they have whistleblower protection to ensure a) the largest reward possible is given and b) the whistleblower is protected under the law.”
When Power
Goes Unchecked, Bad Things Happen
The one thing stories like Harvey Weinstein, Matt
Lauer and R. Kelly all have in common is abusers being able to get away with
what they do for decades. Because these people rise to the upper echelons of
society, people often turn a blind eye to their deeds, or the ones that see are
threatened into silence. These unfortunately repeats the cycle of abuse, and
emboldens the abuser. We have to be able to ask questions of the men and women
we put up on pedestals, and take them to task when they do something wrong. If
we repeatedly turn a blind eye, all that does is make them feel invincible and
double down on the abuse.
We Have to
Separate Talent From Character
If there’s anything we need to learn as a society
it’s that an artistic genius or talented person can still be an abuser, and no
matter how talented they are, they don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. In
fact, the men and women we look up to as role models have to hold themselves to
a higher standard. They should be examples of respect, good character and
integrity, not people we let get away with anything and everything. If they
decide to display horrible behavior, harassing people and destroying their
lives, we as a society have to speak out against that and stop putting money in
their pockets. We need to stop treating famous and powerful people as gods who
can move through society with no accountability or responsibility for their
negative actions.
We Need to
Have More Conversations
Whether it’s at work, at universities or even in
the privacy of our own homes, we have to have conversations about harassment
and abuses of power. Many victims struggle to come forward because they either
think they did something to ask for the abuse, or they don’t think what
happened to them was an abuse of power. If we were to have more open
conversation about the spectrum of abuse and how it manifests in behavior, we
could raise the standards of how we treat each other. We would make it so much
easier for victims to use their voices. In a lot of companies, employees have
had to discuss what sexual harassment looks like and this awareness actually
makes the workplace safer. We need to extend that to the whole society.
The #MeToo movement lifted the lid on so many abuses and though it wasn’t always perfect, it forced us to start having the necessary conversations that make our world safer for everyone else. When we work for companies, our safety is their responsibility, and just as our employers expect want to be sure that we have integrity when they hire us, we expect the same from them. We expect to be safe from abuse and harassment, to be treated with respect at all the time, and for any incidents of abuse to be dealt with accordingly, not swept under the rug.
NBC’s TheToday Show host Matt Lauer has been fired by the network over an allegation of inappropriate behavior.
NBC said: “On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate s**ual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer.
“As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.”
Matt Lauer co-hosts The Today Show. NBC said it had “reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident”.
NBC News chairman Andy Lack said while it was the first complaint about Matt Lauer’s behavior in his time there, more than 20 years, it represented a “clear violation of our company’s standards”.
In 2016, Matt Lauer signed a new contract with the network worth a reported $20 million per year.
As well as fronting the morning show, he was chosen to moderate an election debate between Donald Trump and rival Hillary Clinton.
Matt Lauer has conducted high-profile interviews, such as the one in which Charlie Sheen confirmed he is living with HIV in 2015.
In an emotional interview, Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb said they were “heartbroken”.
“As I’m sure you can imagine we are devastated and are still processing all of this,” Savannah Guthrie said.
“I’m heartbroken for Matt – he is my dear, dear friend and my partner and he has been loved by many people here.
“And I’m heartbroken for the brave colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell.”
Savannah Guthrie added: “This reckoning that so many organizations have been going through is important, it’s long overdue and it must result in workplaces where all women – all people – feel safe and respected.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump commented on Twitter: “Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for “inappropriate s**ual behavior in the workplace.” But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News. Check out Andy Lack’s past!”
Matt Lauer’s departure comes two weeks after NBC executive Matt Zimmerman, who was reported to have worked closely with Lauer, was fired after allegations of inappropriate behavior.
Last week, CBS fired Charlie Rose, one of its leading anchors, amid allegations of assault. In April, Fox News fired its best-known presenter, Bill O’Reilly.
Tracy Morgan has settled the lawsuit against supermarket giant Walmart over a crash which left him seriously injured, and killed his friend, comedian James McNair.
In June 2014, a Walmart truck crashed in to the back of Tracy Morgan’s limo.
Prosecutors alleged the driver had not slept for more than 24 hours.
James McNair, known as Jimmy Mack, was killed in the crash.
Tracy Morgan’s lawyer, Benedict Morelli, said Walmart “took full responsibility for the accident”.
All sides had worked hard to reach the undisclosed agreement, the lawyer added.
Tracy Morgan said Walmart “did right by me and my family, and for my associates and their families”.
“I am grateful that the case was resolved amicably.”
A representative for Walmart also called it an “amicable settlement”.
Tracy Morgan, 46, was left in a critical condition following the crash, suffering a traumatic head injury, a broken leg, nose and ribs.
The 30 Rock star will give his first interview since the crash to NBC’s Today on Monday, June 1.
Tracy Morgan will be interviewed by Matt Lauer live in the Rockefeller Center – which was the setting for 30 Rock – and will be joined by his lawyer Benedict Morelli.
Walmart had previously reached an agreement with the family of James McNair, 62, who grew up with Tracy Morgan in New York.
Walmart driver Kevin Roper of Jonesboro, Georgia, has pleaded not guilty to death by auto and assault and is currently on bail.
Kate Middleton’s sister, Pippa, gave her first ever sit-down TV interview with NBC’s morning program Today Show.
In extracts of Matt Lauer’s interview, Pippa Middleton talks about the bridesmaid dress that made her a household name.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s sister has said she considered the Royal Wedding to be a family event and her now-famous dress an “insignificant” part of the proceedings.
Pippa Middleton gave her first ever sit-down TV interview with Today Show’s Matt Lauer (photo NBC)
Pippa Middleton, 30, said the experience of Prince William and her sister’s wedding had been “surreal” and attention focused on her derrière both flattering and embarrassing.
“It was completely unexpected,” Pippa Middleton said of the attention her gown received.
“You know, I think the plan was not really for it to be a significant dress. Really just to sort of blend in with the train.”
Speaking to Today Show’s host Matt Lauer, Pippa Middleton said: “I suppose it’s flattering,” although she admitted she also found it “embarrassing, definitely” because “it wasn’t planned”.
Donald Trump appeared on The Today Show to promote his 2014 Miss USA pageant airing on NBC in June, when the conversation turned to President Barack Obama and his weakness in handling Russia’s actions in Crimea.
“You’ve been critical of the president and his handling of the situation with Ukraine and Crimea,” the show co-host Matt Lauer said.
“I think you said, I’m paraphrasing here, but basically [Russian President Vladimir] Putin was playing with or toying with Obama. That is kind of a common refrain of yours, I should mention.”
Donald Trump replied that others have said the same thing.
“But you always think that Obama is being weak,” Matt Lauer said.
Donald Trump appeared on The Today Show to promote his 2014 Miss USA pageant, when the conversation turned to Barack Obama (photo NBC)
“What would you have done differently than he did in the days before Russian troops went into Crimea?”
The incursion should have never happened, Donald Trump said.
“If you’re the president, that doesn’t happen and it’s not a big surprise,” he said.
“I mean, it should have worked so that a thing like that doesn’t happen.”
The US should be strong in its reaction to Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump said.
“We should definitely do sanctions. And we have to show some strength. I mean, Putin has eaten Obama’s lunch, therefore our lunch, for a long period of time,” he said.
“And I just hope that Obama, who’s not looking too good, doesn’t do something very foolish and very stupid to show his manhood. I just hope that doesn’t happen.”
Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin stopped by the Today show on Monday, where she promptly got into with host Matt Lauer about healthcare.
Matt Lauer asked if President Barack Obama’s apology for the Affordable Care Act’s rollout woes was sufficient. Sarah Palin scoffed, asking “what apology?” and saying that the Healthcare.gov’s serious flaws were the least of America’s worries.
“This broken website, I think, is symbolic of a broken administration,” Sarah Palin said.
“Take over one-sixth of our economy and the socialized medicine that’s being crammed down our throat – that’s what’s broken.”
Matt Lauer then asked Sarah Palin what the Tea Party proposed as a solution to America’s health care problems, if ObamaCare was not a workable one, and that’s where things got a little dicey.
Sarah Palin attempted to repeat her talking points instead.
Sarah Palin stopped by the Today show on Monday, where she promptly got into with host Matt Lauer about healthcare
“It’s not just the independent grassroots Tea Party movement saying this, it’s many in the Republican party and many Democrats, too…”
“But where’s the plan from the Tea Party?” Matt Lauer asked again.
”… especially Democrats in red states that are running for re-election who are… ” Sarah Palin continued.
“Where’s the plan?” Matt Lauer repeated.
”…running for political cover,” Sarah Palin concluded.
Sarah Palin then said the Tea Party’s plan was to allow for healthcare reform to sort itself out in the free market and encourage more competition and “less tort reforms threats,” before going back to “what thwarts those plans is the far left. It’s President Obama and his supporters who will not allow the Republicans to usher in free market, patient-centered, doctor-patient relationship uh links to reform healthcare.”
Matt Lauer has been denied an interview with recently convicted kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro and turned away from the Ohio prison where Castro is being held.
NBC’s Matt Lauer traveled to Cleveland to conduct a jailhouse interview with Ariel Castro, who was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years for his crimes against Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight.
Instead, Matt Lauer’s request was declined by Cuyahoga County Sheriff Frank Bova in no uncertain terms.
Scott Taylor, an investigative reporter for 19 Action News in Cleveland tweeted the news yesterday, writing: “@MLauer of @todayshow spotted at jail here in Cleveland asking for #ArielCastro interview. Sheriff Bova said NO.”
According to Scott Taylor, Sheriff Bova told him “I won’t allow it”, and that “an Ariel Castro interview from jail isn’t going to happen in Cleveland”.
Scott Taylor first tweeted news of Matt Lauer’s failed Ariel Castro interview attempt
A spokesperson for Sheriff Bova said that the reason Lauer was denied the interview was because Ariel Castro was being moved to Lorain Correctional Institution in Grafton, Ohio.
“Matt Lauer arrived at the jail on Friday morning and his interview request was denied. Castro is leaving the building today and the interview was declined for security purposes,” she said.
A spokesperson for Ohio’s prisons department said Ariel Castro will be isolated from the greater prison population for his own safety at the beginning of his sentence due to the high profile nature of his case.
Ariel Castro’s lawyers struck a deal with prosecutors that spared him the death sentence but also spared his victims having to testify in court, pleading guilty to aggravated murder, kidnapping and rape on Thursday.
NBC’s Today show has declined to comment on the incident, but Twitter users are speculating about Matt Lauer’s interview techniques.
@LovinTheTribe wrote: “Did Castro agree to interview first? Was wondering why Lauer just showed up?”
According to Scott Taylor, the Today show had already secured the interview.
“MY SOURCE: @MLauer & @todayshow had green light for interview with #ArielCastro today but County Sheriff Frank Bova pulled the plug,” Scott Taylor wrote.
As Chris Brown tries to win back the public, he continues to be upfront and frank about his infamous 2009 assault on Rihanna which subsequently shattered his reputation.
Chris Brown, 23, once again opened up about vicious attack on Rihanna with Matt Lauer on the Today show on Monday morning.
Chris Brown once again opened up about vicious attack on Rihanna with Matt Lauer on the Today show
In an interview to promote his new album Fine China, Chris Brown said that his 52 week stint in domestic violence counseling finally made him see the error of his ways.
“I think it is just proving myself once again and me being a man. Knowing what I did was wrong and never doing it again,” the singer told Matt Lauer.
“As far as she [Rihanna] and I are concerned, she knows my heart and I know her heart. I am not really focused on the negative, everything is positive for me. I did my 52 weeks of couseling and learned it was absolutely wrong.”
Chris Brown said that during counseling he played the incident in his head over and over again.
“It was domestic violence counseling. A 52 week program. Every Monday in Virginia, I remember going, sitting in there thinking <<why did I do what I did?>> I really just wanted to get help,” he told Matt Lauer.
When Matt Lauer asked Chris Brown if he could promise that won’t ever happen again, the star repeatedly told him “absolutely”.
Chris Brown also told Matt Lauer that he was now concentrating on moving forward “positively”, but realized that not everybody will be willing to forgive him.
“I am moving forward, positively. I think for me it is about proving myself to my fans and for me my fans have been my number one support,” Chris Brown said.
“The naysayers are going to have their opinion. Anything I do… It’s not going to be <<Chris is the greatest>>. So I am not going to focus my life on pleasing those people. The only thing I can do is please my family, myself and please her [Rihanna] and my fans.”
The latest target to take a verbal battering from Joan Rivers is former TODAY host Ann Curry.
When asked about the ongoing Today show drama, Joan Rivers, 79, shocked HuffPost Live host Marc Lamont Hill by laying into Ann Curry.
Ann Curry, 56, left Today show in 2012 amidst rumors that co-host Matt Lauer was behind the departure.
Joan Rivers didn’t hold back, she said: “Ann Curry? With all due respect…“ and then made a snoring sound.
The latest target to take a verbal battering from Joan Rivers is former TODAY host Ann Curry
She then aped her presenting style by saying: “Do you reeeeeallly like coffee? REALLY? That’s making me cry that you like coffee.”
Then Joan Rivers added the piece de resistance: “I used to scream at the set, <<Shut up, b***h!>>.“
Joan Rivers said more in support of Matt Lauer, who has seen TODAY ratings nosedive since Ann Curry left: “I think they’re blaming it all on him and it’s very unfair.”
But she did add: “She’s a very nice woman and I’ve heard Matt is a toughie.”
Joan Rivers said of the show “it’s being run by a lot of white men” who went to Ivy League schools and “didn’t keep up with the times”.
The Fashion Show host added: “You can’t sit on your laurels. Good Morning America is kicking butt.”
Ann Curry joined NBC News in 1990 as a Chicago correspondent and eventually rose through the ranks to become a news anchor at Today.
In 2011, she replaced Meredith Vieira on the morning show co-anchoring alongside Matt Lauer.
According to most accounts, Ann Curry and Matt Lauer did not see eye to eye almost from the get-go. While appearing collegiate and even friendly on air, the two colleagues were said to harbor intense feelings of dislike for one another.
Matt Lauer reportedly complained about Ann Curry and was believed to have played a key role in her ouster last year.
After repeatedly clashing with co-anchors and overseeing plummeting ratings, the Today show’s Matt Lauer is reportedly being given the boot.
Matt Lauer, a long-time host,who earns a staggering $21.5 million a year, is being blamed for the NBC morning show’s dismal performance over the past three months and sources claim ratings will only improve if he is replaced.
According to The National Enquirer, weatherman Al Roker is plotting to push the 54-year-old TV veteran out of his anchor chair and is lobbying a newly appointed Today producer for help.
ABC rival Good Morning America leap-frogged the Today show after Ann Curry was controversially dumped as co-host in the summer and replaced with Savannah Guthrie.
“It’s just desserts. Matt is finally getting what he deserves!” a Studio 1-A set insider told The Enquirer.
“His years-long feuds with former co-hosts Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira and Ann Curry have taken their toll. Everyone has turned against him, and Matt is going to be ousted because he’s being blamed for the show’s collapse.”
A high profile former NBC News executive recently said the show needed a new frontman to turn its ratings around.
“This problem is not going to go away until Matt Lauer does,” the source said.
“He’s great, but fairly or unfairly, his brand is damaged.”
After repeatedly clashing with co-anchors and overseeing plummeting ratings, the Today show’s Matt Lauer is reportedly being given the boot
Al Roker, a loyal friend of Ann Curry, has been secretly working towards Matt Lauer’s demise for sometime, according to The Enquirer.
“Matt and Al used to be good buddies – until Al found out Matt had been instrumental in Ann’s ouster,” a Today source told the paper.
“They come across as friends on the air, but that’s all an act.”
The weatherman is reportedly campaigning for Today‘s 9 a.m. house co-host Willie Geist, 37, to take Matt Lauer’s sought-after seat.
“Adding a fresh new guy like Willie to the mix is just what Al feels <<Today>> needs to help pull the show out of the ratings doldrums and compete with <<GMA>>,” the source said.
RadarOnline.com recently reported that Alexandra Wallace was set to replace Jim Bell as the executive overseeing the NBC morning show and an insider told the website that she wasn’t afraid to ruffle “Lauer’s feathers”, to boost ratings.
Ann Curry is going to tell her viewers this morning that she is leaving NBC’s Today Show and is giving up her co-host chair.
In an interview with USA Today, Ann Curry admitted it is “going to be a bit of a tough day” as she ended over a week of speculation about her future.
“I’m going to have to tell our viewers. That’s what makes me more emotional than anything. I don’t want to leave them. I love them. And I will really miss them.”
Leaving with a reputed $10 million pay-off, Ann Curry, 55, will remain at NBC with a new title – Today Show anchor-at-large and NBC News national/international correspondent.
Negotiated by her lawyer Robert Barnett, her new contract to remain at the Peacock Network lasts “a significant amount of time” but she has not disclosed the size of her new salary, reputed to be as much as $20 million a year.
Ann Curry described the moment that she was called into NBC News president Steve Capus to receive the bad news about her position as co-host of Today after little more than a year as anchor.
“I walked into his office expecting to say goodbye,” said Ann Curry.
“Steve sat me down and told me I’m not done and he convinced me there is far more to do.”
Ann Curry is going to tell her viewers this morning that she is leaving NBC's Today Show and is giving up her co-host chair
Creating a seven-person roving news team for Ann Curry, the soon-to-be former Today show anchor will now travel the world to report on the world’s biggest stories.
She will produce pieces for NBC Nightly News, Dateline and Today.
However, despite her cushioned manoeuvre out of the morning show hot-seat, Ann Curry admitted to USA Today that the rumors and reporting over the past week hurt.
“I don’t know who has been behind the leaks, but no question they’ve hurt deeply,” she said.
The main reason for her removal at Today is thought to be her lack of on-screen chemistry with co-host Matt Lauer.
However, Ann Curry was adamant that was unfair.
“You know, Matt and I have had great on-air chemistry for 14 years, been part of the No.1 winning team for a history-making number of years,” she said.
“That said, I just finished my freshman year as co-host.
“In every single co-host’s first year, there have been kinks to be worked out and perhaps I deserve as much blame for that as anyone.”
Ann Curry has also taken the blame from many at NBC for the Today show’s ratings decline.
The program lost the top spot among network morning shows this spring to ABC’s Good Morning America, a position it had held, unbroken, since 1995.
“I know I am not to blame for the ratings worries,” replied Ann Curry.
“And my bosses have said to me there are many factors involved.”
Reports surfaced last Wednesday that Ann Curry, who took over the anchor chair June 9, 2011, would be removed from her spot as Matt Lauer’s co-host before the network’s Olympic coverage begins next month.
In April GMA broke the 16 year winning streak of the Today show as the No.1 rated morning show and in the week of May 21 Today lost to their rival by 33,000.
Ann Curry has been criticized for not being as flexible or quite as quick-witted as Matt Lauer or Katie Couric, who had the hosting job for 15 years before leaving in 2006.
“We had a many-year run in first place in total viewers and it got snapped, but since then, every week in the past month we’ve started a new streak,” said NBC News president Steve Capus.
“There’s nobody complacent around here.
“We’re aggressive and we’re going to continue to evolve the broadcast and this one of the moves, but it’s not the only move in response to all of that.”
While Ann Curry will take some time off after her final appearance on Today, she will be back on U.S. screens reporting from the Olympics in London and then return to her love of foreign reporting.
“In my secret heart of hearts, I see this as a thrilling opportunity. To have a ticket to every big story in the world – no small matter,” said Ann Curry.
Speaking about what it has been like to work alongside Matt Lauer for the past year, Ann Curry was enthusiastic.
“Well, we’ve had a terrific relationship for all these years, and he’s such a star,” said Ann Curry.
“Obviously he’s considered the golden boy of morning television. He’s so good when you sit next to him; it’s hard not to be helped by that.
“He’s funny and glib, and he knows how the show works. It’s been my honor in this last year to sit next to him.”
Ann Curry has showed up at work hours after news surfaced that she would be fired next month as co-host of NBC’s Today show.
Reports surfaced Wednesday afternoon that Ann Curry, who took over the anchor chair June 9, 2011, would be removed from her spot as Matt Lauer’s co-host.
But on Thursday morning, Ann Curry was back next to Matt Lauer, acting like nothing had happened.
Ann Curry has taken the blame from many at NBC for the Today show’s ratings decline. The program lost the top spot among network morning shows this spring, a position it had held, unbroken, since 1995.
The New York Times reported that NBC executives were preparing for Ann Curry not to show up on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Today show producers contacted Hoda Kotb, who co-hosts the fourth hour of the program, and told her to be ready to go on the air at 7:00 a.m.
But Ann Curry, who reportedly makes $2 million a year, was there, acting like normal.
“Good morning Twitterverse,” she tweeted to her 1.2 million followers on Thursday.
“Good morning. From hot to hotter. You thought yesterday was a scorcher? In many places in the East today, it’s going to get even hotter,” she said at the opening of the show.
On Thursday morning, Ann Curry was back next to Matt Lauer, acting like nothing had happened
Later in the program she appeared alongside Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Natalie Morales – one of the women who has been mentioned as her possible replacement.
Her tweet, sent out about 8:00 a.m., received dozens of responses from her fans, who offered her their support.
The Times reported on Wednesday that Ann Curry will be kicked off the show before the Summer Olympics begin July 27.
Ann Curry has been criticized for not being as flexible or quite as quick-witted as Matt Lauer or Katie Couric, who had the hosting job for 15 years before leaving in 2006.
Katie Couric was replaced by Vieira.
Matt Lauer, who recently received a reported $30 million annual contract to stay at NBC is reportedly one of the people working to push Ann Curry out.
NBC producers are beginning to panic as ABC’s Good Morning America has begun trading off with the Today show for the top network morning show.
Ann Curry’s more prominent role in the morning show has received the blame for this slump.
Negotiations are currently underway with network executives to move Ann Curry into a new job, likely as a foreign correspondent.
But, she’s apparently not leaving without a fight.
“She got her dream job, and she doesn’t want to let it go,” a source told the Times.
Savannah Guthrie, who co-hosts the show’s third hour, is at the top of the list of Ann Curry’s possible replacements.
Natalie Morales, Today‘s news anchor, and Meredith Vieira, who left the co-host role last year, have been mentioned in talks for the position, news outlets reported.
A decision about Ann Curry’s departure from the show could be made before the Summer Olympics begins in later this summer.
Several staff members who work on the show have blamed Ann Curry as the reason for the decline in ratings after she took over the co-host job, according to the New York Times.
Today lost in the ratings this spring for the first time since 1995 after a string of 852 consecutive weeks.
Since then, Today and Good Morning America have been trading wins.
Some reports suggest the longtime member of the Today show may become a foreign correspondent at the network.
For Ann Curry, however, the reality of ending her time on the program has been difficult.
Attorney Robert B. Barnett is representing Ann Curry in the discussions.
The lawyer is known for having represented Christiane Amanpour in her talks with ABC as she left the news program This Week.
Ann Curry began working as news anchor for the Today show in 1997, a position she held onto until she was promoted to share the hosting role with Matt Lauer.
She has an extensive background in global reporting.
Ann Curry began a career at NBC in 1990 as part of the NBC News team.
After yesterday’s Today show interview was focused on Whitney Houston, its second part turned this morning to Bobby Brown’s on-going relationship with daughter Bobbi Kristina.
According to Bobby Brown, 43, he and his daughter Bobbi Kristina share a very open, healthy relationship as he tells Matt Lauer: “I am her father, she talks to me about everything.”
When asked if the rumors of Bobbi Kristina’s substance abuse were accurate, Bobby Brown said that he was not concerned about that right now.
“I know what she is actually doing,” he said.
“I think people are making assumptions of what my daughter is [because of] how strong she is. People tend to want to control strong willed people.”
Bobby Brown says he and his daughter Bobbi Kristina share a very open, healthy relationship
Given their close relationship, Matt Lauer then asked if Bobbi Kristina Brown was dating her stepbrother, Nick Gordon, as rumors have alleged.
“Nick’s a good kid, I have nothing against Nick,” Bobby Brown said before being pushed by the host to make a declarative statement that they are not dating.
Bobbi Kristina is a strong girl, according to her father.
“Her mom taught her well. I think we raised her really well. She’s fine, she knows her mom is gone and she knows she has to live.”
Bobby Brown attempts to clear his name by dispelling the age-old rumors that he was the cause of Whitney Houston’s addiction in his interview with Today’s Matt Lauer.
In addition to recounting how well Whitney Houston looked the week prior to her death, Bobby Brown, 43, told Matt Lauer that he still asks himself if he could have helped her more.
“Maybe I could have done something different. You know?” Bobby Brown said.
“To ensure she had a longer life. But you have to want it.”
Although happily engaged, Bobby Brown had no qualms expressing the love he had for Whitney Houston, his ex-wife of 14 years.
Although happily engaged, Bobby Brown had no qualms expressing the love he had for Whitney Houston, his ex-wife of 14 years
Bobby Brown’s perception is that the couple had a great and “beautiful” relationship.
“I can honestly say that I loved that woman with everything that I am,” he admitted.
“I truly and genuinely love that woman. And I still love her to this day.”
Bobby Brown said it’s no secret (not even to his fiancée) how he felt about Whitney Houston.
“I was in love with her deeply,” he says of his late ex.
It’s commendable for Bobby Brown to take the high road by only having good things to say about Whitney Houston. From the outside looking in the couple may have appeared to be a little rough around the edges. But that’s not to say the love they had for each other wasn’t real. Take a look at the couple during the happier times of their marriage.
Bobby Brown has spoken out for the first time since Whitney Houston’s death in an interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show.
Bobby Brown, 43, told Matt Lauer he was “hurt” by suggestions that he played a role in Whitney Houston’s demise.
“I was hurt. I was hurt… because, you know, me being off of narcotics for the last seven years, I felt that she was… I didn’t know she was struggling with it still,” Bobby Brown told Matt Lauer in a new sitdown interviewing, aired Wednesday on The Today Show.
“But at the same time… listen, it’s a hard fight. It’s a hard fight to… maintain sobriety that way.”
Matt Lauer asked Bobby Brown if he thought Whitney Houston’s cocaine use shortly before her death (the coroner’s reported indicated she had the narcotic in her system at the time of her death in February) led to the pop star’s death, and the recovering addict said he believed it did.
“From what I feel and… how I saw her, the last time I saw her, it had to be that particular day… It had to be that one, because that’s all it takes… One hit, you know, and… it could definitely take your life away from you,” Bobby Brown said.
“And – unfortunately – that was it.”
Bobby Brown has spoken out for the first time since Whitney Houston’s death in an interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show
Many fans blamed Whitney Houston’s early descent into drug addiction on her relationship with Bobby Brown, and the singer said those thoughts are still upsetting.
“It makes me feel terrible. But… I know differently. I think if anyone ever knew us, if anybody ever spent time around us instead of time lookin’ through the bubble – they would know how we felt about each other, they would know how happy we were together… And the reality show gave us a wakeup, because… we looked at the bubble and saw ourselves,” the singer said, referring to Being Bobby Brown.
“We [were] able to see what other people were saying about us… We [were] able to see that our drug use had affected our relationship, had affected the love that we felt for each other.”
Pushed more by Matt Lauer over the rumor, Bobby Brown said: “No, that’s not true. I didn’t get high before I met Whitney.”
“I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn’t the one that got Whitney on drugs at all,” he added.
Asked if drugs were a part of Whitney Houston’s life before their relationship, Bobby Brown claimed that they were.
“It’s just – it’s just unexplainable – how one could, you know, [say that I] got her addicted to drugs. I’m not the reason she’s gone,” he said.
“And it’s not revisionist history? It’s not a chance of, after the fact, setting the record straight in Bobby Brown’s way?” matt Lauer asked.
“No. I can honestly say that I love that woman with everything that I am… And I believe she loved me the same way,” he replied.
“We wouldn’t have been able to make the most beautiful girl in the world without love. And that’s the truth.”
Bobby Brown has been widely derided by many fans being responsible for introducing Whitney Houston to the drugs which played a part in her untimely death.
Now, Bobby Brown has hit back at the claims in his first interview since the singer passed away back in February.
“I didn’t get high [on narcotics] before I met Whitney,” Bobby Brown tells The Today Show’s Matt Lauer.
“I smoked weed, I drank the beer, but no, I wasn’t the one that got Whitney on drugs at all.”
Bobby Brown, 43, says drugs were a part of Whitney Houston’s life “way way before” they got together.
Bobby Brown says he was not the one who got Whitney Houston addicted to drugs, in a new interview with Matt Lauer on The Today Show
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown married in 1993 and had daughter Bobbi Kristina, now 19-years-old, before divorcing in 2007.
Bobby Brown adds: “It’s just unexplainable how one could, [say that I] got her addicted to drugs. I’m not the reason she’s gone.”
In the candid sit-down interview which will air in the U.S. this Wednesday, Bobby Brown, who says he is “very much clean and sober’ from narcotics,” tells host Matt Lauer that he was “hurt” when he heard the news of Whitney Houston’s death at just 48-years-old.
“I was hurt because me being off of narcotics for the last seven years, I felt that she was… I didn’t know she was struggling with it still,” says Bobby Brown, who looks studious in a pink sweater over a checked shirt.
“But at the same time, listen, it’s a hard fight. It’s a hard fight to maintain sobriety that way.”
Matt Lauer then presses home the media speculation to Bobby Brown, saying: “If I heard it once, I heard it a hundred times, and I know you heard it too. Fans, people who say they were close to Whitney, say her life went downhill when she met Bobby Brown. How does it make you feel when you hear it?”
“It makes me feel terrible,” Bobby Brown responds.
“But I know differently. I think if anyone ever knew us, if anybody ever spent time around us instead of time looking through the bubble, they would know how we felt about each other. They would know how happy we were together.”
Bobby Brown also recalls the last time he saw Whitney Houston – about a week before she died.
“She had this glow about her that was just incredible,” he says.
“I’m saying to myself, <<She must be doing really well>>, because she looked really well. She looked like she was in a good place.”
Whitney Houston was found dead in Beverly Hilton Hotel bathtub on February 11 from what authorities called accidental drowning brought on by cocaine use and heart disease. White powder and drug paraphernalia were found in the bathroom where she died.
The second part of Bobby Brown’s interview with Matt Lauer airs on Thursday on U.S. network NBC and features interviews with three of the singer’s children Landon, Bobby Jr., and La’Princia – and his fiancée, Alicia Etheridge.
It has not been smooth sailing for Bobby Brown since Whitney Houston’s death.
He turned up for Whitney Houston’s funeral in New Jersey but left before the service started saying he felt unwanted and disrespected.
And six weeks after Whitney Houston died, Bobby Brown was arrested and charged in Los Angeles with DUI and driving on a suspended license. Brown has pleaded not guilty.
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