EXCLUSIVEMatt Lauer 'Talking To Friends About Marrying' Shamin Abas — But 'It's Hard To Imagine' Many Guests Would Show, Source Spills
May 6 2021, Published 12:05 a.m. ET
It's been nearly four years since Matt Lauer was fired from TODAY amid a sexual assault scandal, and an OK! source says he's still being snubbed by his old Hamptons crowd.
Lauer, 63, who retreated to his waterfront estate in the celeb enclave after a colleague accused him of assaulting her at the 2014 Olympics, "has done everything he can to regain his place in the community," says the source. However, it seems he's remained persona non grata despite his best efforts.
"He'll turn up at fancy events and be super friendly with everyone," explains the source, "but most people just turn their noses up at him."
The disgraced ex-anchor, who hooked up with public relations exec Shamin Abas, 52, after his 2019 divorce, "has been talking to friends about marrying her in a big Hamptons wedding. But it's hard to imagine there'd be much of a turnout," the source adds. "People have had ample time to put out the welcome mat, but it seems like they've shut their doors on Matt for good!"
The news of Lauer dating Abas was reported in late 2019 when the two were spotted at the airport, heading to New Zealand to spend the holidays together.
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In pictures obtained by OK!, it was evident that fellow passengers simply could not ignore how Abas resembled Lauer's ex-wife, Annette Roque.
"Some people thought it was Annette," an eyewitness claimed at the time. The couple flew to Lauer's $9 million lakefront farm, Hunter Valley Station, in New Zealand where they spent the holiday together.
Lauer had been an anchor on the TODAY show since 1997. However, things took a drastic turn on November 29, 2017, when Lauer's former co-host Savannah Guthrie announced on the morning show that he had been fired after a sexual misconduct review. Guthrie read a letter from NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack that detailed his termination.
"On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace by Matt Lauer. It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company's standards," the letter stated.
