Today Show host Savannah Guthrie will reluctantly come face to face with her former friend and co-host Matt Lauer today, DailyMail.com can reveal.
The former colleagues celebrate the wedding of NBC producer Jen Long to Reid Sterrett with a number of other old employees.
Sources told DailyMail.com that Guthrie initially declined the invitation because she “refused to be in the same room” as Lauer after he was fired for sexual harassment in 2017 when the pair were anchoring together.
But now sources claim Guthrie has had a change of heart and will put on a brave face to attend her longtime friend's big day.
Savannah Guthrie and former co-host Matt Lauer will come face to face at a wedding today after Guthrie previously refused to be in the same room as him
The former Today Show colleagues celebrate NBC producer Jen Long's upcoming wedding to her fiancé Reid Sterrett with several other longtime employees
Since his dismissal, Lauer has led a quiet life, away from the spotlight. He has been dating Shamin Abas since 2019 and the pair were spotted together last month on a walk in The Hamptons
Long, who left NBC's Today in 2019 after 21 years, worked closely with both Lauer and Guthrie before jumping ship to become executive producer of The Tonight Show.
Guthrie, who still anchors the show, was quoted as crying after announcing Long's departure and saying the entire team would be waving “pom poms” for her friend in her new role.
Long has since returned to Today and is now working closely with Guthrie again.
Long worked closely with both Lauer and Guthrie on the Today Show
The frosty relationship between the former co-anchors has escalated to the point where they can no longer talk about the situation with mutual friends.
Sources claimed that Guthrie was not interested in mending her friendship with Lauer after the scandal, which led to her initially disapproving of the upcoming bash.
A year after his dismissal, the 51-year-old admitted she had not seen her co-host since but was “trying to keep in touch” via text.
Lauer, a father of three, felt “betrayed” by his former co-host after she called the allegations “shocking and disgusting” on air.
Both Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, who replaced Lauer, made several comments about the allegations on the show.
Lauer felt as if Guthrie was “taking the opportunity to bury him.”
Sources previously claimed that Lauer “tightened” his inner circle and “eliminated” old friends who supported him following the allegations.
The guest list for Long's wedding includes NBC weatherman Al Roker, who rebuilt his relationship with Lauer after his cancer diagnosis, and several other network employees.
Lauer was accused of sexual harassment and rape by former network employee Brooke Nevils, while several other women came forward with similar allegations.
Nevils confirmed that she filed the complaints with Ronan Farrow for his 2019 book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.
She alleged that he raped her in his hotel room during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, where she worked for NBC's Meredith Vieira. Lauer has maintained that all of his encounters were consensual.
Lauer felt “betrayed” by his former co-host Guthrie after she called the allegations “shocking and disgusting” on air. The guest list for Long's wedding includes NBC weatherman Al Roker, who rebuilt his relationship with Lauer after his cancer diagnosis
Lauer was accused of sexual harassment and rape by former network employee Brooke Nevils, while several other women came forward with similar allegations
Both Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, who replaced Lauer, made several comments about the allegations on the show. Lauer felt as if Guthrie 'took the opportunity to bury him'
It's unclear if Lauer will be accompanied to the wedding by his longtime girlfriend Shamin Abas, who he started dating in 2019.
The pair were spotted together last month on a hike in The Hamptons.
He has been living a quiet life since the dismissal and subsequent divorce from Dutch model Annette Roque, his wife of twenty years. In 2018, Lauer agreed to pay his ex-wife $20 million in the settlement.
“Matt and Annette have had an incredibly difficult year,” a source said at the time. 'They both wanted to settle their divorce amicably in the interests of their children, but that has not been easy.'
Last year he sold his 12-bedroom estate in the Hamptons for $44 million after three years on the market and a price drop.
“He sold because he wants to spend more time at his home in New Zealand,” a source said People last month. 'He feels peaceful there, loves it, loves the people and it is good for his productivity.'
The source added, “Matt has some projects he is working on, and Bryant [Gumbel] has been encouraging and inspiring for him. They talk regularly.'
It's unclear if these “projects” include a comeback to television.
Long and Sterrett, CEO of a Maryland-based home buying company, ask wedding guests to make a donation for their honeymoon at an undisclosed location, and also list $350 worth of Celeste bedding on their registry.
$200 worth of robes are still available as gifts for the happy couple, with guests having already purchased a $600 Crate and Barrel cookware set and a $320 Wusthof knife block.