Brooke Nevils is opening up about a harrowing encounter she says changed her life forever, recounting a sexual assault by former NBC anchor Matt Lauer in her new memoir, “Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame and the Stories We Choose to Believe.”
According to Page Six, Nevils says the alleged assault took place in Lauer’s “Today” show dressing room shortly after the 2014 Sochi Olympics, when he asked her to meet him under the pretense it “would only take a minute.”
“Before I could sit down,” Nevils recalls, “his hands were once again on both sides of my face, just as they had been in Sochi…then he pulled back and said, ‘I can’t f–k you here,’ as though it was even remotely normal to suggest having sex in the dressing room of one of the world’s most famous television studios.”
She claims Lauer forced her to the floor, ignoring her repeated protests. “I said, ‘No, I hate doing this,’” she writes, but he allegedly responded, “It will only take a minute.”
After the assault, Nevils says she reported the incident to NBC Human Resources.
She describes being compelled to endure the situation, stating, “Then there was only getting through it.” She recounts that Lauer watched her compose herself before opening the door and calling for his assistant, as if nothing had happened. “I left as though nothing had happened,” she writes.
Nevils filed a formal complaint with NBC in 2017. Other women also came forward with allegations against Lauer, and he was fired within 24 hours. He later split from his wife, Annette Roque.
Lauer has maintained that his relationship with Nevils was consensual, but she has strongly disputed that claim. “Consent and agreement are not synonymous,” Nevils told NPR. “When one person has power over the other, it’s not really consent. It’s submission.”
Her memoir provides a detailed account of her experiences, highlighting the complex dynamics of power, intimidation, and workplace harassment that fueled one of television’s most notorious abuse cases.
The book is out now, sparking renewed discussion about consent, authority, and accountability in high-profile workplaces.
