Disgraced Today anchor Matt Lauer has opened up about his sexual misconduct scandal, revealing he kept quiet about it because he 'got what he deserved' but now wants to speak out after he was accused of sexual assault.

Lauer sat down for an off the record interview with conservative radio show host and Mediaite senior columnist John Ziegler on Tuesday, where he admitted 'to making numerous serious mistakes'.

Though their conversation wasn’t recorded, Ziegler shared a summary of their conversation in an opinion piece revealing Lauer is keen to defend his name.

The news giant was fired from NBC in 2017 following allegations of sexual harassment in the work sphere. In Ronan Farrow’s new book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, former NBC producer Brooke Nevils accuses Lauer of sexually assaulting her during non consensual sex at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

'It appears he was silent after his firing because he felt he got what he deserved, but now that he has been publicly accused of sexual assault, finds himself in a completely different situation,' Ziegler said on their conversation.

Disgraced Today anchor Matt Lauer has opened up about his sexual misconduct scandal, revealing he believes he 'got what he deserved' in an off the record interview with conservative radio host and Mediaite columnist John Ziegler on Tuesday

My column today is about yet another story in which I need to clean up media incompetence.



BTW #MJFam Ronan Farrow & Dan Reed are very similar & I doubt Lauer would speak to me if he thought I was wrong about Wade Robson, whom he was the 1st to interview https://t.co/RiBiXhm5UW — John Ziegler (@Zigmanfreud) October 23, 2019

He revealed that Lauer wants to speak out – but hasn’t figured out 'the best manner or timing' to do it and fears being vilified by the press, particularly after Farrow’s book.

Lauer did break his silence after the rape allegation was released earlier this month by issuing an angry denial that he anally raped her, claiming that they had consensual sex that led to a three-month affair in a sharp three-page, 1,400 word response.

In his statement he went into graphic detail about their interactions, calling her a 'willing partner.'

'It is categorically false, ignores the facts, and defies common sense,' he said of the rape allegation.

Ziegler slammed Farrow’s reporting as 'shockingly lacking in basic journalistic standards', where he heavily replied on anonymous sources and 'assumed Lauer’s guilt from the start'.

He revealed that Lauer wants to speak out – but hasn’t figured out 'the best manner or timing' to do it and fears being vilified by the press, particularly after Ronan Farrow’s (above) book which details a rape allegation against the former NBC anchor

Brooke Nevils agreed to be named in Ronan Farrow's new book where she tells how Matt Lauer 'anally raped' her in 2014 while they were working for NBC to cover the Sochi Winter Olympics. Lauer is shown, right, at the Games

'To be clear, if Nevils said multiple times that she did not want to have anal sex and was too drunk to consent, that would be rape. But it is imperative to point out that according to NBC, and Farrow’s own reporting, she never used the word rape when she made the original complaint to NBC,' Ziegler said on Farrow’ reporting.

Lauer was critical of Farrow's depiction of him and the sexual assault allegations against his in his new book Catch and Kill

Lauer shared his side of the story with Ziegler who said hearing him tell his perspective in detail was 'extremely persuasive'.

'While Lauer wrote a detailed public letter with his side of the story, there is more to it which I am not currently at liberty to divulge,' he said.

'I will say that hearing him tell his perspective in detail is extremely persuasive, especially when I get him to react in real time to details in the book, of which he apparently had no previous knowledge,' he added.

'I have read the book carefully and seen all of Farrow’s public comments, and yet find Lauer’s version to be very credible, especially since he is willing to admit to making numerous serious mistakes, and because his overall narrative makes a lot of sense, especially once you understand the timeline and the clear motivations of all the players who involved here,' Ziegler concluded.

Lauer says that he's been tightlipped about the allegations against him but finally decided to speak out after he was accused of sexual assault in Farrow's book. Pictured above with ex-wife Annette Roque in 2013

Lauer says he has been hesitant to speak out because he wants to protect his family. He has three kids with his ex-wife - Jack, 18, Romy, 16, and Thijs, 12

He said that Lauer is paralyzed in deliberating his next move - whether to speak out or stay quiet to save his family from the public scrutiny.

'I also believe that his deep knowledge of how the news media really operates, combined with his frequent rollercoaster of emotions and concerns about protecting his children from further media coverage, has created significant "paralysis of analysis" within his response strategy,' Ziegler said, calling the lack of a response 'too soft and dangerously naïve.'