Matt Lauer has been kicked out of the family home by his fed-up model wife, Annette Roque, according to a report in Page Six on Monday, and divorce papers could be in the post soon.
It’s not the first time relations between the two have soured—in 2006, Roque filed for divorce from Lauer, citing “mental abuse, extreme mental and emotional distress, humiliation, torment, and anxiety”; however the action was terminated after Lauer offered Roque a postnuptial agreement valued at many more millions of dollars, according to a source quoted by Page Six.
The 2006 filing was not revealed until the documents were published by the National Enquirer in 2014. Roque claimed she suffered “cruel and inhumane” treatment from Lauer due to his “extreme anger and hostility” toward her: “The conduct of defendant (Matt) so endangers the physical and mental well-being of plaintiff (Annette) so as to render it unsafe and improper for plaintiff to cohabit with defendant,” Roque’s lawyer, Nancy Chemtob, argued.
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The action was pulled after just three weeks.
Now, however, in the wake of the sexual-misconduct allegations that saw Lauer dramatically fired from NBC’s Today, Roque has apparently reached the breaking point again, and ordered Lauer, 60, to leave the marital home.
He is staying at another of his Long Island properties, Page Six says, noting that he owns “a $36 million compound in North Haven, a house in Sag Harbor, and a 40-acre horse farm in Water Mill,” so there’s plenty of options for the disgraced dad-of-three to choose from.
Lauer said in a statement shortly after he was fired that while some of what was said about him was “untrue or mischaracterized,” there was “enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”
Lauer and Roque, Page Six says, have been living “separate lives” for several years, with Lauer based in the city during the week and Roque staying in the country.
Lauer, who was NBC’s highest paid star, earning a reported $20-$25 million per annum, was initially accused of sexually harassing an intern at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and after the first allegation more women came forward.
Page Six cites sources saying Roque is likely to file for divorce “soon,” but said that “reps for Lauer would not comment on whether the couple has formally separated.”
