Matt Lauer Feels Like A 'Victim' And Is 'Owed An Apology:' Report

Matt Lauer allegedly feels he is "owed an apology" as he plots his return after being accused of sexually assaulting and harassing several female colleagues, according to a report.

The former "Today" morning show co-anchor -- who was fired by NBC in 2017 for alleged inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace -- allegedly feels that seven years is enough time for people to forget the scandal and welcome him back to the media space, Us Weekly reported.

An unnamed insider told the outlet that Lauer wants to make a comeback and is already starting to plan his "next act."

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While People reported in late 2022 that Lauer cut ties with many friends in the wake of Katie Couric revealing their text exchanges in her memoir, the 66-year-old journalist has now "started to talk to people" as he plans his next move, according to Us Weekly's source.

According to the insider, Lauer reportedly remains "very upset with how he was portrayed and still feels like he was the victim" after his surprise ouster.

"He went from being the biggest guy out there, and now every headline [attached to him] is 'disgraced;' it's very painful for him to go out there with his girlfriend," the source added. "He's very thin-skinned -- don't expect an apology, he's the one who feels is owed an apology."

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But while Lauer is reportedly eager to be "relevant" again, he has yet to decide how he wants that to happen, the source claimed.

Lauer reportedly recently tested the waters by attending Don Lemon and Tim Malone's wedding in New York City Saturday with his girlfriend of five years, Shamin Abas.

Lauer had served as the co-anchor of "Today" for 19 years when he was axed in November 2017 over a sexual misconduct complaint from another NBC employee.

Unnamed sources told People at the time that Lauer's alleged inappropriate behavior began during the 2014 Sochi Olympics and continued for several months.

A memo from then-NBC News chairman Andrew Lack to staffers said it was the "first" complaint the network had received about Lauer's behavior but acknowledged that he may have had other alleged victims, Variety reported.

A Variety investigation also found at the time that Lauer allegedly sexually harassed three women, including allegedly exposing himself to a female employee he'd summoned to his office and reprimanding her when she refused to engage in a sexual act.

The New York Times reported additional accusations against Lauer, including him allegedly sexually assaulting an ex-NBC employee in his office in 2001.

Responding to the allegations, Lauer said in a statement read on "Today" that while some of the accusations against him were "untrue or mischaracterized," he admitted that there was "enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed."

The journalist did not specify at the time which claims about him were true.

In 2018, a Page Six report claimed Lauer wanted to return to television, allegedly telling fans who came up to him at a restaurant, "Don't worry, I'll be back on TV."

A year later, however, he was back in the headlines after Brooke Nevils came forward as the NBC employee who filed a complaint against Lauer.

Detailing her allegations in Ronan Farrow's book, "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators," she alleged that Lauer raped her in his hotel room when they were in Sochi, Russia, to cover the 2014 Winter Olympics, according to an excerpt published by Variety.

Nevils told Farrow that the anal sex was allegedly "nonconsensual" because she was "too drunk to consent."

Lauer denied Nevils' allegations in a letter to Variety, insisting that he had an "extramarital, but consensual, sexual encounter" with her.

Lauer's wife Annette Roque, with whom he shares three children, filed for divorce in 2019. Their split was finalized in the same year.

He has since moved on with Abas, and their relationship is "stable," according to Us Weekly's source.