Matt Lauer Shows Off New Arm Tattoo After Ronan Farrow Drama: See His Cryptic Ink

A poignant quote. Matt Lauer was spotted sporting a new tattoo on his forearm in photos obtained by In Touch. The disgraced Today host displayed his fresh ink while cruising around Sag Harbor, New York, in his car on Wednesday, May 20. Lauer rolled up his sleeve for his afternoon outing to reveal the message that read, “Hatred corrodes the container it’s carried in.” Us Weekly was the first to cover the news. 

The ex-TV personality’s rare outing comes after he wrote a scathing op-ed, blasting journalist Ronan Farrow for “betraying the truth” in his reporting. 

In his book Catch and Kill, Farrow writes about Brooke Nevils’ sexual assault allegations against Lauer, which resulted in the former news anchor being fired from NBC News in November 2017. Lauer repeatedly denied the accusations made against him, claiming he and Nevils had “a consensual, yet inappropriate relationship.”  

“Will anyone hold Ronan Farrow thoroughly accountable? I doubt it,” the former Dateline NBC contributor wrote in his op-ed via Mediaite. “I ask people to consider how they would react if someone they loved were accused of something horrific and basic journalistic standards were ignored because of a desire to sell books. I also urge people to remember that there are two sides to all stories.” 

“Ronan knows, as well as anyone, that there is a great deal of fear surrounding this subject, and it would take an act of selfless bravery (some might say foolishness) for anyone to challenge him, or the story of an alleged victim of sexual assault,” the father of three continued. 

In response to Lauer’s piece, Ronan fired back on Twitter on May 19, saying the New York native is “just wrong.” The author assured people his book was “thoroughly reported and fact-checked,” even by Lauer himself.  

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Lauer’s new ink, which comes amidst their public dispute, may sound familiar, given it was said during Alan Simpson’s eulogy at George H.W. Bush’s funeral in 2018. 

“You would have wanted [Bush] on your side. He never hated anyone. He knew what his mother and my mother always knew: Hatred corrodes the container it’s carried in. The most decent and honorable man I ever met was my friend George Bush,” Simpson said while paying his respects to the former president. 

Scroll down to see the photos of Lauer’s new tattoo obtained by In Touch.