Matt Lauer Has ‘No Plans’ for a TV Return: ‘No One Wants Him Back’

Following reports in January that Matt Lauer was allegedly working towards a comeback, sources close to the former TV host are debunking all of those rumors. An insider exclusively revealed to In Touch that the now-infamous Today host isn’t planning his TV return at all. But more so than that, no one else is trying to plan it either. With the Today show doing well without him and the host facing bans like the one at Al Roker‘s anniversary party, the demand for the disgraced star just isn’t there. And if a comeback does eventually happen, it won’t be a while.

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“Matt’s friends are saying he has no plans to make a TV comeback, but the real truth is that no one really wants him back, not yet anyway,” the insider told In Touch. “Matt shouldn’t be picky, but the few offers he got were embarrassing … He’s gotten some random web show offers, but that’s not something he’s going to do. If he accepted a web series, he’d get even more negative press.”

The 61-year-old star’s reputation has already taken quite the hit after he was fired following sexual harassment allegations in November 2017. Apparently, he doesn’t think it could take much more heat if he took too many steps backward professionally. “Of course Matt wants to be back on the air,” the insider said, but he’s simply not willing to do so at the expense of his future career. “The last thing he wants is some headline declaring how the mighty have fallen.”

In April 2018, Matt broke his silence on the accusations, defending himself against claims of “coercive, aggressive, or abusive actions,” stating that he had only “acted inappropriately as a husband, father, and principal at NBC.” He waited months to release that statement, and the source says that he can be patient on this subject, too. “Matt’s waiting it out,” they said. “He’s hoping some network or cable executive will eventually give him a shot.”