Matt Lauer’s History at ‘Today’: Two Decades of Highs and Lows

What followed became a viral video hit before the days of YouTube and Twitter. “Just knowing people who are on Ritalin isn’t enough,” Mr. Cruise told him, pointing a finger, before engaging in an attack on psychiatry. “You should be a little bit more responsible —”

“I’m not prescribing Ritalin, Tom,” Mr. Lauer fired back.

In 2012, a tense goodbye to Ann Curry.

During Mr. Lauer’s years on the show, he remained one of the few steady parts in a revolving door of new reporters and anchors. But no transition turned more tense and awkward — or filled more New York tabloid pages with rumors of infighting on the show — than the promotion of Ann Curry in 2011 as co-anchor alongside Mr. Lauer.

Her stint as an anchor was very brief, lasting only a year before she was pushed out in June 2012, after ABC’s “Good Morning America” gained ground in the ratings. Ms. Curry signed off in a tearful goodbye as her co-hosts looked on.

A few months after her departure, The New York Times interviewed Ms. Curry about what unfolded during her brief time next to Mr. Lauer:

Many executives at the network never grasped how profoundly hurt and humiliated Curry remained — not just by her televised dismissal but by all the backstage machinations that led to that fateful morning. Curry felt that the boys’ club atmosphere behind the scenes at “Today” undermined her from the start, and she told friends that her final months were a form of professional torture. The growing indifference of Matt Lauer, her co-host, had hurt the most, but there was also just a general meanness on set.

In 2012, he was slammed for an Anne Hathaway interview.

The actress Anne Hathaway was interviewed in December 2012 to discuss her new movie, “Les Miserables,” for which she later won an Oscar for best supporting actress. The day before her interview, some celebrity gossip sites had published an upskirt photo of Ms. Hathaway exiting a car.

“Seen a lot of you lately,” Mr. Lauer said as he began the interview.

He continued, “Let’s just get it out of the way. You had a little bit of a wardrobe malfunction the other night.” Ms. Hathaway was praised for her response.

In 2016, he grilled, and interrupted, Hillary Clinton.

Mr. Lauer was the host of one of the major presidential forums in 2016 between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton. During the one-hour debate, Mr. Lauer interviewed the candidates separately, and he was criticized for asking Mr. Trump softer questions while he spent considerable time pressing Ms. Clinton about her use of a private email server, and interrupting her repeatedly.

“Mr. Lauer found himself besieged on Wednesday evening by critics of all political stripes, who accused the anchor of unfairness, sloppiness and even sexism in his handling of the event,” The Times wrote afterward.

In 2017, he was fired.

Mr. Lauer’s latest co-host, Savannah Guthrie, began the show on Wednesday appearing to be fighting back tears. Next to her behind the anchor desk was not Mr. Lauer but Hoda Kotb.

“This is a sad morning here at ‘Today’ and NBC News,” Ms. Guthrie said in the opening.