【early 20th century eroticism】

Savannah Guthrie and early 20th century eroticismHoda Kotb kicked off Wednesday's episode of theToday Showby emotionally delivering the news that their former co-host Matt Lauer had been terminated from NBC News for alleged "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace."

Moments after learning the news themselves, Guthrie and Kotb went on air to read the conformational statement from NBC News chairman Andy Lack to viewers. You can watch the moment below:

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"This is a sad morning here at Today and NBC News," Guthrie began before reading Lack's statement about a complaint received from a colleague regarding "sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer."

“We just learned this moments ago. Just this morning. As I’m sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing all of this," Guthrie went on.

"We are heartbroken. I am heartbroken for Matt — he is my dear, dear friend and my partner, and he is beloved by many many people here," she said. "And I'm heartbroken for the dear colleague who came forward to tell her story and any other women who have their own stories to tell."

"I've known Matt for 15 years and I've loved him as a friend and as a colleague," Kotb added. "It's hard to reconcile what we are hearing with the man who we know."

Lauer worked as longtime host for NBC, anchoring Today for two decades starting in 1997. Prior to that, CNN notes he worked as a newsreader. Guthrie joined Lauer as co-anchor back in 2012.

He has yet to release a statement himself, but Guthrie and Kotb assured viewers more details will follow.

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