Accused rapist Matt Lauer thinks Ronan Farrow is the one with a credibility problem

Ronan Farrow attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Celebrating the 92nd Annual Academy Awards hos...

I’ve been paying attention to the growing “media fight” over Ronan Farrow in The New Yorker and the New York Times. I haven’t had the energy to cover any of it because honestly, I feel like we’re all going through some dumb quarantine madness. Twitter peeps keep trying to cancel people for no reason other than boredom, and this is just like an elite-media version of that. To recap, Ronan Farrow used to work for NBC News, and that’s where he started researching the then-allegations regarding Harvey Weinstein. NBC tried to shut him down, so Ronan took his research and his story to the New Yorker. Farrow and the New York Times’ Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey ended up breaking the Weinstein story wide open within about 48 hours of each other.

Farrow then used his clout to continue reporting on Me Too stories across Hollywood and the media. Through his time at NBC and his research on Weinstein, Farrow kept coming across stories about Matt Lauer too. Farrow ended up including those stories in his book Catch and Kill. Farrow also interviewed the woman whom Lauer (allegedly) raped. While Lauer had already been gone from NBC for a while at that point, the new interview put everything that went on behind the scenes at NBC in sharper relief. It made Lauer and NBC executives look like a bros’ club of rapists, basically.

So, what now? Farrow is just doing his thing and I have no doubt that victims still come to him and that he diligently researches their stories. It’s gotten to the point where a lot of powerful men are very afraid of what Farrow will release next. Which is why it was odd to see the New York Times’ Media/Business section do a lengthy article called “Is Ronan Farrow Too Good to Be True?” Ben Smith vaguely theorized that Farrow is not a traditional journalist, he’s a “resistance journalist,” and that’s bad because… reasons. You can read it here if you’re so inclined. The NY Times piece was widely panned and some media-watchers even theorized that the Times was trying to get ahead of some Farrow story about a NY Times figure who might be a rapist or harasser or something – that sort of “smear him before he tries to expose you” thing. People were placing bets on which NYT editor or journalist was about to get Farrow’d.

I don’t know what I was expecting to come next, but it certainly was not… Matt Lauer arguing that actually, Ronan Farrow sucks. Matt Lauer, an accused rapist, is out here trying to smear the messenger. He tried to smear his alleged rape victim last fall, which reminded everyone that he is actually extremely vile. Lauer argues in his Mediaite guest column that Farrow’s reporting has “faced so little scrutiny,” and what Farrow says about NBC and NBC people can’t be taken seriously when he’s basically a disgruntled ex-employee. Basically, Lauer wants us to believe that none of Farrow’s reporting should be believed because ~reasons~ and how dare Farrow have the nerve to report on a woman who, of her own free volition, went to Farrow to tell her story. 2020 is just the worst, right?

Hailee Steinfeld performs on the 'Today' Show concert series

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67 Responses to “Accused rapist Matt Lauer thinks Ronan Farrow is the one with a credibility problem”

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  1. Eleonor says:

    Yesterday I saw the article, and read it, I had the feeling they are not saying Ronan Farrow is not that good, but that he makes up some additional stories, to have a better story to sell.
    The problem is that around the world the NYT has credibility.

    • Yoyo says:

      It use to have credibility, but now it’s one step up from the New York Post.
      Still thinking about the writer of op-Ed pieces that tried to get a university professor fired, because he was likened to a bedbug.

      • MissMarierose says:

        Bret Stephens. Ugh. He is the worst. Even worse than Alison Roman, which makes you wonder why she got canned and Bret didn’t.
        NYT is an overrated mess of a publication nowadays.

    • Mac says:

      I believe Smith was accusing him of being selective with facts to make a story more dramatic, not fabricating them.

      • holly hobby says:

        Except book was heavily vetted by the publisher before it went to print. If these people have an legitimate beef, don’t you think they’d file a lawsuit by now?

  2. Becks1 says:

    I’m of the theory that this is about something Ronan is working on that involves someone at the NYT.

    I read Catch and Kill and I was surprised at how fact-checked everything was – part of that was NBC roadblocking him, and it came back to hurt them, IMO. They didn’t accept that he had two sources, he had to have 5 saying the same thing, etc. They kept saying he didn’t have enough to air the story so he kept finding more and more and more. then once it went to the new Yorker it felt like it was fact-checked again ad nauseum.

    I don’t think he’s perfect and I’m sure he’s made some mistakes along the way, but I feel like the reporting in the New Yorker and Catch and Kill is about as solid as it gets.

    (btw if you haven’t read Catch and Kill you should. It made me feel gross for watching NBC, to be honest.)

    • SarSte says:

      Seconding your comments on Catch & Kill. The podcast is also brilliant and a great complimentary piece to the book – I expected it to be a short-form retelling of the book, but it’s not. Also delves much deeper into some of the characters. If you haven’t also listened to that, I would highly recommend it.

    • lucy2 says:

      I agree. I read the book, I read NBC’s rebuttals, and I listened to the podcast. His work was fact checked, well researched, and clearly presented.

      He was not a “disgruntled ex-employee” either, he had the story done AS AN NBC EMPLOYEE and they covered it up at Weinstein’s request. So he took it elsewhere. That’s not “hey they fired that guy and 2 years later he wrote a tell all to get back at them.”

      Lauer has zero credibility, and belongs in jail.

      • Liz version 700 says:

        Agree Lauer should be serving a mandatory minimum in prison. His arrogance is breathtaking. To attack someone who fact-checked every word when you have people coming out of the woodwork to talk about what a predator you are. Go back under that rock Matt.

      • Trashaddict says:

        Why on earth is Lauer NOT in prison?

    • Nic919 says:

      Ronan Farrow would be sued for libel by now if his reporting was false. It clearly isn’t. Lauer needs to shut up forever.

      Also I agree this seems like an end run to discredit before more stories come out. The NYT has been horrible in doing the “both sides” nonsense to normalize the monster who is president. And they played a large role in giving Comey a voice and affecting the perception of Hillary just before Election Day.

      • (TheOG) jan90067 says:

        I love Kaiser’s term “get Farrow’d”. I think this should be the newest verb entry to Websters’ this year.

        NYT DESERVES to “get Farrow’d” for supporting Tangerine Twitler more often than not.

      • Becks1 says:

        Ricky Gervais made a joke about it at the GGs that I thought was hilarious – one of the good jokes he made – something about mentioning the name Ronan Farrow and seeing how many people run or something, I cant remember the exact joke now of course lol – and Farrow tweeted “Is this why I am never invited anywhere?”

    • Kebbie says:

      I opened Catch and Kill, fell asleep reading it, woke up and finished it before lunch. I could not put it down.

  3. JJ McClay says:

    He is a rapist. A sexual predator. How was he given a platform to litigate his own case?! Who the hell thought that was a good idea?

    [Side note: I love Ronan Farrow. His interview on the Dax Shepherd podcast is worth a listen. Also, he and his partner, Jon Lovett are the cutest. The actual cutest. Love them!]

    • Yoyo says:

      He is a white man, so he will get more chances to rape again.

    • Esmom says:

      I love Ronan and Jon, too. Jon is so damn funny but also brings such incredible insight to almost everything he talks about, especially the deadly serious stuff going on right now. He’s been such a light for me since Trump got elected and even more so now during quarantine.

      And yeah I agree that no one should be giving Lauer a platform.

    • Aang says:

      Jon Lovett is so funny, insightful, and intelligent. They make a great couple.

    • whatWHAT? says:

      “He is a rapist. A sexual predator. How was he given a platform to litigate his own case?! Who the hell thought that was a good idea?”

      my exact reaction.

      well, after “SHUT UP RAPIST”.

    • Molly says:

      I love that the private investigator looking for dirt gave up on following Jon because they thought he was too boring

      • Nic919 says:

        Lovett is the best. His attempts to cook are pretty fun too, except when Alison Roman is being a bitch to him.

  4. Ariel says:

    Curious about the agenda of the dumbass who published the lauer bullshit. Does Lauer have something on them or are they just pro-rapist?

    • Sarah says:

      Clicks. Making excuses for white men. Both sides! That’s it.

    • Peanutbuttr says:

      Mediaite is owned by Dan Abrams, who this blog should remember as shilling for Kelly Rutherford during that summer when she ramped up her custody battle.

    • Myriam says:

      What the hell is a Mediaite anyways? Don’t even know how to pronounce it. And would anyone even find that platform/website unless another media/social platform linked to it?

    • anon says:

      Predators protect each other…

  5. anniefannie says:

    I read the NYT article several days ago and my only take away was that some powerful men with shady histories were attempting a take down. It’s historically difficult to get rape victims to go on the record and nearly impossible to get cooperation from witnesses but he managed both.
    GTFO with your BS smear

  6. Feedmechips says:

    Ronan looks completely angelic in that top photo.

  7. grabbyhands says:

    As ever, the white man falls up and he still isn’t happy and wants to be the victim.

    How about you just call not being in jail for rape a win and keep your f*cking gob shut about pretty much anyone’s credibility?

    Up next from Matt Lauer, a think piece on how Trump is just “misunderstood” probably.

  8. TheOtherSarah says:

    The absolute audacity of this rapist! Like, who asked you? Who cares what you have to say, you worthless piece of sh*t?
    I cannot wait to listen to Lovett or Leave it, Jon is going to tear him a new one!

  9. Marjorie says:

    Yeah, Ronan is close to something, it seems. Also, the writer of the NY Times article used to be the editor of Buzzfeed so he wouldn’t be my go-to for an article about journalism ethics.

    Whenever there’s an even mildly anti-Woody article in the Times, the comment section is full of pro-Woody older New Yorkers who slam Mia and her family. It’s weird.

    As for the New Yorker, you basically have to have video, sworn statements, and DNA samples to get past their fact checkers and publish something.

  10. Jay says:

    So, what do they want him to do, exactly? Slam the door on a rape survivor because he already wrote that story? Ludicrous.

    I love the notion that the name “Farrow” sends a little ripple of fear around board rooms everywhere. GOOD.

    • Sarah says:

      I saw a tweet a few years ago that basically said “Live your life like Ronan Farrow will find out what you did.” Solid advice tbh.

      • Elizabeth says:

        Seriously… the fact Matt Lauer is not in jail should be enough for him! Beyond enough. If Ronan Farrow lied, sue him, prove it in court. Lauer can certainly afford the best representation.

        I’m so tired of rich old white men getting away with this sort of thing. Anyone really but especially them. Over and over. Trump, Kavanaugh, Lauer, Weinstein, “Prince Andrew.” (Don’t wish to give him a title I certainly don’t bow to.)

        Our society is so twisted on this issue. It brings up all the reminders of what the Second Wave feminists talked about… have we even progressed on this by inches? Not as far as the survivors are concerned.

  11. BonnieT says:

    I know Matt Lauer is almost sort of an aside in this article to talk about a larger media feud, but can I just say that I have never hated someone who I do not know personally and is not even an actual part of my life as much as Matt Lauer? I wish he would f*ck off. Of course, in classic textbook narcissism, he won’t on his own and is also badmouthing everyone else for all the things that have happened to him. He’s the kind of dude who would siphon milk from his mother’s teat and then blame her for being dry. Jesuuuuuuus.

  12. Purplehazeforever says:

    After the Weinstein report broke in the NY Times & then Ronan’s Catch & Kill in New Yorker, I knew it was a matter of time before a story was going to break on Matt Lauer. There had been whispers about him for a long time. If anyone read gossip blogs, you knew he wasn’t a good guy. So, Matt is just pissed he got caught. He’s lucky he’s not in prison.

    • KL says:

      I went to a taping of the Today Show way back in the early aughts, when I was a teenager, with lots of other teenagers in the crowd for the popular musical guest. He came outside to interview us, and I will never forget the sight of him ZEROING IN on one of the younger-looking girls with one of the lower-cut tops after his on-camera interview, making half-smarmy, half-flirty comments to her as he eyed her cleavage. Even worse: how clearly uncomfortable it made her, but how she could tell everyone around her was jealous of the attention, and so she was playing into it because… he was a celebrity!

      Such an eye-opening ten minutes about celebrity in general and Lauer in specific. I’ve never broken out in gooseflesh so bad about a guy who never even looked my way. I’ve just been waiting to hear the fallout on him since.

  13. Darla says:

    He’s disgusting. I saw him as one of the biggest misogynists in media BEFORE this all came out. He’s absolutely a rapist. I read the woman’s account. That’s rape, and for god sakes he raped her until she passed out. He’s an animal. And it really has nothing to do with Farrow.

    • Mads says:

      Omg! Thanks Darla. Sometimes I avoid the accounts because it so disturbing. Lauer always gave me creep vibes so it wasn’t hard to believe the allegations. Now he disgusts me even more.
      Team Farrow Forever

  14. SomeChick says:

    Matt Lauer. Mr Electric Office Door Lock. Sure, Jan.

    I’ve got a sofa he can borrow to take all the seats. (I didn’t say it was at my house!)

  15. WilliamJoelene says:

    Every time I see Ronan Farrow I reassess whether he could possibly be Frank Sinatra’s son. Answer is always the same! I think his Sinatra-ism is getting even stronger.
    I read Jon Lovett as Jon Lovitz ha ha ha

    • BonnieT says:

      OKAY I WAS RAKING MY BRAIN over the name and I was picturing Jon Lovitz’s face lmao. Nothing wrong with Jon LovITZ but I could not picture Ronan Farrow with him and was genuinely confuzzled 🥴.

    • Yoyo says:

      Look for a picture of Mia Farrow’s father.
      By the way Ronon is a great singer.

      • Sam says:

        @yoyo Yes, I agree. Ronan gets his looks from Mia and is a clone of his grandfather, John Farrow. Ronan is lucky! Cause Woody looks and acts like an Orc from Lord of the Rings.

  16. SJR says:

    Matt Lauer has turned out to be a very good actor.
    He has been acting as if he is not a vile, disgusting creature.
    And, he has been so good at this act, that for many years he was highly paid and fawned over.

    The entitlement, the huge ego, the I do what I want no matter how it shatters others lives, shame and heartbreak he has brought to his now Ex-wife..Sickening.
    Go away from public eye and stay away. STFU Matt Lauer!

    • Trashaddict says:

      Nope. Just, nope. Not fooling everyone and certainly not me. Dude puts out a nasty narcissistic vibe, always did. The few times I saw him on television spewing pseudo-news drivel, I knew I didn’t like him.

  17. Emily says:

    I finished reading Catch and Kill a few weeks ago. It had a flair for the dramatic, which made it an interesting read. But things did not feel made up.

    The problem with the NYT putting this out is that they are now helping to discredit journalism in a political climate that’s already trying to cast doubt on media to protect powerful men. Ronan Farrow is disliked exactly by the type who cry fake news all the time. And those types and a certain president, would rejoice the “cancelation” of Farrow, and use this as ammo to say the NYT is bought and sold by the elite.

    Journalists, stick together! This article feels like an inside job. Ronan must be on to something.

    • pineapple says:

      Emily, this is what I worry about. Discrediting journalism in this time in history. I know there are problems at The New York Times but I think there are also many good journalists and articles.

      Ronan sure has upset many powerful people … I think that’s how you know his stories are true. Anyone involved in these crimes deserves to be outed.

      As for Lauer? Please be quiet rapist.

  18. Leslie says:

    Highly recommend reading catch and kill. Also, Matt Lauer can f*** right off.

  19. molly says:

    When I saw the Mediaite headline come across twitter, I seriously thought it was a joke. Like the, “did a dog write this?” gag. I can’t believe it was true. FU, Matt Lauer.

  20. emmy says:

    I haven’t read the book but I did read the original article as well as the one by Kantor and Twohey. I have no reason to doubt either and nobody has been sued, right?

    What I found interesting is that this morning there was an article on this entire thing (the “takedown” piece by Smith as well as opinions published in the Washington Post etc.) online at a major German newspaper. The article came to no conclusion. But it was there and that was pretty unusual and I don’t know what to make of that.

    What I think happened is that either people (men) think of Farrow as the guy who ruined the boys club’s good time or they are confusing investigative journalism with a court case. It was a book, not a court judgment.

  21. K.T says:

    That whole Ben Smith media column about Ronan Farrows reporting was such an annoying hit job. It infuriated me!!! And, that some supposedly high-minded male journalists (many working or connected with nytimes) and professors, tweeted how ‘Brave’ it was to go after such a lauded reporter as Farrow. Every hard hitting investigative reporter gets a few things wrong or has tonal issues, fair critiques are fine. But, in a pandemic, with a corrupt president, a toxic fat-right party and a swath of rabid gun-toting militia trying to upset democracy and THIS is Nytimes big move?! Rambling, messy, badly written text about journalistic practices and wtfever ‘resistance journalism is!’ when we ALL know that nytimes has f*ked up so badly that it canned its own fact checkers & badly needed public editor. Plus, it’s worse that Dean Baquet has learned nothing and will most likely stumble again (read his revisionist interview with Michael Barbaero ‘Interviewing Our Boss About 2016). Ronan Farrow took on a ‘women’s’ issue and a ‘media’ issue and the good ol boy, bitchy NY media brass are trying to use meta-criticality of journalism to take him down a notch. And the Hypocrisy, the sheer Numptitude, the blatant ridiculous blindness to what’s so urgently needed in journalism and true analysis in a crisis-era that it makes me want to crush skulls. Especially that creep Matt Lauer.

    Just needed to get that off my chest! And Farrow will keep getting more precise, digging through the smear and hopefully be able to keep working hard.
    I still subscribe to nytimes & they have some great hardworking journos but it needs an epic shakeup.

  22. AnnaKist says:

    Pfft. Lauer is no longer even trying to hide what an arsehole he is. Jog on, mate.

  23. David says:

    Ah. I have been wondering if this monumental idiot would still not understand that he needs to shut up. It reminds me so much of Steve Carrell’s character in The Morning Show. Talk, talk, talk, but me, me, ME. Shut up you disgrace to men around the world.

  24. Valerie says:

    Why is Lauer allowed a platform? It’s like letting Polanski or Allen write a rebuttal.

  25. lolalola3 says:

    Dear NY Times, Here’s a name that should make you shake in your boots. Mike Oreskes. You knew about him and didn’t do anything for years. I’m sure Ronan knows all about him. Can’t wait to read Ronan’s next work.

  26. holly hobby says:

    I didn’t read Matt’s article (waste of time why when I know the truth?) but US Weekly sort of did a summary about it and he again called Brooke Nevils a liar. He also got some stupid self righteous tatoo. You can see pics of it on US Weekly website.

    Whatever Matt the Rapist, you can cry over your millions in South Hampton.

  27. SJR says:

    If Ronan Farrow never does another hours work for the rest of his life, we all know that the work he has done to Shine A Light on sexual predators is real.
    Stop hiding these criminal rapists!
    Team Ronan.

    STFU Matt Lauer!

  28. susan says:

    FRANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!