--- description: In a 2012 video, Katie Couric said Matt Lauer "pinches me on the ass a lot." Lauer was fired over allegations of sexual misconduct Wednesday title: Katie Couric Said Matt Lauer 'Pinches Me on the Ass a Lot' in 2012 Interview image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5013e82e345ee34f/6988e74f4ee262228730ff00/katie-couric-matt-lauer-fired.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Katie Couric Said Matt Lauer 'Pinches Me on the Ass a Lot' in 2012 Interview  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 29, 2017 7:03 PM CUT  Katie Couric and anchor Matt Lauer on the set of Today on Jan. 6, 2017. Katie Couric and anchor Matt Lauer on the set of Today on Jan. 6, 2017.Peter Kramer—NBC/Getty Images  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 29, 2017 7:03 PM CUT A 2012 video in which Katie Couric said [Matt Lauer](http://time.com/5040649/matt-lauer-ann-curry-past/?xid=homepage "undefined") “pinches me on the ass a lot” [resurfaced Wednesday](http://www.tmz.com/2017/11/29/katie-couric-today-show-matt-lauer-sexual-harassment-allegations/ "undefined") after Lauer was [fired by NBC](http://time.com/5040611/matt-lauer-fired-nbc-today-show/?xid=homepage "undefined") due to accusations of sexual misconduct. “He pinches me on the ass a lot,” Couric told Andy Cohen in a 2012 interview during a segment called “[Plead the Fifth](http://time.com/3064406/kate-hudson-zach-braff/ "undefined")” on _Watch What Happens Live_, when asked what Lauer’s most annoying habit was. Multiple [news outlets](https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/katie-couric-matt-lauer-pinches-ass%5Fus%5F5a1edc57e4b01edb1a81730c "undefined") published [video](http://www.tmz.com/2017/11/29/katie-couric-today-show-matt-lauer-sexual-harassment-allegations/ "undefined") of the interview Wednesday. “Wow, I wouldn’t have a problem with that,” Cohen said in response. “Katie Couric did not plead the fifth.” Couric and Lauer were co-anchors on _Today_ from 1997 to 2006, when Couric departed the show. Lauer was fired on Wednesday [due to a complaint](https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/935842862591283201?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref%5Furl=http%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5040611%2Fmatt-lauer-fired-nbc-today-show%2F "undefined") of “inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.” “It represented, after serious review, a clear violation of our company’s standards. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment,” NBC News Chairman Andy Lack said in a statement on Wednesday. “While it is the first complaint about his behavior in the over twenty years he’s been at NBC News, we were also presented with reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident.” Couric has not yet commented publicly about news of Lauer’s firing. Lauer, who has been a _Today_ anchor for 20 years, is the [latest high-profile figure](http://time.com/5015204/harvey-weinstein-scandal/ "undefined") to be fired following accusations of sexual misconduct in recent weeks. Watch the clip below: ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5041390/katie-couric-matt-lauer-fired/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5041390/katie-couric-matt-lauer-fired/"},"headline":"Katie Couric Said Matt Lauer 'Pinches Me on the Ass a Lot' in 2012 Interview","datePublished":"2017-11-29T19:03:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:23:16.564Z","description":"Lauer was fired over allegations of sexual misconduct after 20 years on 'Today'","url":"https://time.com/5041390/katie-couric-matt-lauer-fired/","keywords":["Television","NBC","today show","matt lauer","sexual misconduct","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5013e82e345ee34f/6988e74f4ee262228730ff00/katie-couric-matt-lauer-fired.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5013e82e345ee34f/6988e74f4ee262228730ff00/katie-couric-matt-lauer-fired.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Today - Season 2017","caption":"Today - Season 2017","creditText":"Peter Kramer—NBC/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/television/","name":"Television"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5041390/katie-couric-matt-lauer-fired/","name":"Katie Couric Said Matt Lauer 'Pinches Me on the Ass a Lot' in 2012 Interview"}}]}] ```