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Before their marriage officially ended, photographs of Matt Lauer and Annette Roque hinted at underlying tensions long before the formal separation. Renewed interest in Lauer’s life, sparked by his attempts to revive his career post-NBC scandal, has brought their past back into focus. The divorce, finalized shortly after allegations in 2017 led to Lauer’s dismissal from the “Today” show, seemed to have been preluded by previous signs of discord.
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Take, for instance, a snapshot from 2013 at the 38th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show. Dressed to impress, Lauer and Roque appeared less than enthusiastic as they posed together. Their subdued expressions and stiff demeanor suggested that all was not well, a sentiment echoed in photos from August 2017. This visual evidence implies that their unhappiness might have been brewing long before Lauer’s scandal erupted.
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Despite the public nature of their split, Roque has remained silent on Lauer’s alleged misconduct, opting not to air grievances in the public sphere. However, insiders reportedly told Us Weekly that Roque regretted not ending the marriage sooner. According to these sources, she endured years of difficulty, staying for the sake of their children and Lauer’s career.
Back in 2006, Roque had initially filed for divorce, citing Lauer’s “controlling and cruel behavior,” which reportedly affected her well-being. As reported by Radar Online, Lauer countered by saying she incited such behavior, leading her to eventually withdraw the petition. The marital issues, however, persisted, with those close to the couple aware of their struggles. According to sources, Lauer showed little remorse for the state of their relationship.
Matt Lauer and Annette Roque had been having trouble for years
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Despite the high-profile divorce between Matt Lauer and Annette Roque, which allowed her to walk away with millions, she has never gone the scorned wife route by publicly blasting Lauer about his troubling indiscretions. Her private thoughts on the matter, however, are a whole other thing — at least if you believe Us Weekly’s sources. In November 2019, the publication quoted an insider who claimed that Roque wished she’d divorced Lauer much earlier than she did. “Annette wanted out of the marriage for a long time … She stayed for Matt’s career — and, more important, for their kids,” claimed the insider. “But in the past five years, she’s been through hell,” they added.
In 2022, Radar Online reported that Roque had previously filed for divorce from Lauer in 2006 because her then-husband’s “controlling and cruel behavior” had been impacting her well-being. Apparently, Lauer didn’t deny Roque’s claims, insisting that she’d provoked his behavior. Regardless, she eventually withdrew her divorce petition, even though that didn’t fix the issues in their marriage. According to a source that spoke with the outlet, their inner circle had been well aware of their marital problems, with one source alleging, “His friends knew the marriage was in serious trouble. He seemed totally remorseless.”
