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Katie Couric breaks silence on Matt Lauer firing: 'This was not the Matt we knew'

'It's completely unacceptable that any woman at the Today show experienced this kind of treatment,' Couric told People magazine.
Katie Couric (L) and Matt Lauer attend the Tenth Annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball at Cipriani Wall Street on December 2, 2014 in New York City.

Katie Couric is breaking her silence on former Today show co-host Matt Lauer more than a month after his firing.

Couric, 61, who co-hosted the show with Lauer for 15 years until she left in 2006, said the "whole thing" has been "very painful" for her during an interview with People Saturday.

“The accounts I’ve read and heard have been disturbing, distressing and disorienting and it’s completely unacceptable that any woman at the Today show experienced this kind of treatment," she told the magazine.

She added that she had "no idea this was going on" during or after her tenure.

“I think I speak for many of my former colleagues when I say this was not the Matt we knew. Matt was a kind and generous colleague who treated me with respect," she continued. "In fact, a joke I once made on late-night television was just that, because it was completely contrary to our brother-sister relationship. It’s still very upsetting."

Couric also praised Today's Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, who has taken Lauer's place on the show, for how they have dealt with the situation.

"I really admire the way Savannah and Hoda and the entire Today show staff have handled a very difficult situation," she added.

Lauer, 60, who co-anchored the NBC talk show for more than 20 years, was ousted from the company Nov. 29 following sexual harassment accusations against him.

A day after his firing, NBC News' Stephanie Gosk said there were as many as eight accusers while appearing on Megyn Kelly Today.

Lauer released a statement the same day, apologizing to the people he hurt.

"There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions," he said. "To the people I have hurt, I am truly sorry. As I am writing this I realize the depth of the damage and disappointment I have left behind at home and at NBC."

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