Matt Lauer to pay Annette Roque up to $20 million in divorce agreement as the disgraced anchor "feels guilty" for cheating
Axed 'Today Show' host Matt Lauer is working on giving his estranged wife Annette Roque a multi-million dollar payout that could go as high as $20 million.
Lauer is said to be "bending over backwards" to give her everything she wants in the divorce agreement because he feels guilty for cheating on her with multiple women at work, reports Page Six.
The host was fired by NBC in November as the #MeToo movement raged on and multiple women alleged varying degrees of sexual misconduct against him. The couple is, as of now, said to be getting along and are even spending time in their enormous 12-bedroom Hamptons home while working on the details of their divorce agreement, which is expected to be finalized soon.
"Things really have settled down. Matt and Annette are getting on and they're both spending time with their kids. They hope to settle the divorce very soon," a close friend of the couple told the media outlet. Back in 2006, Roque filed for divorce citing "mental abuse, extreme mental and emotional distress, humiliation, torment and anxiety," after learning of Lauer's cheatings.
However, she agreed to pull off from the divorce and remain with him, another source told the publication, because at the time, "Matt agreed to pay Annette a lump sum of millions back in 2006 as an incentive to stay with him to help him maintain his squeaky clean image as "America's Dad."
Part of the incentive for her to stay was also a post-nup, which would make things smoother for her if she were to eventually divorce him. She also got an allowance every year, and it was agreed that she would get a share of the value of all their homes if they did split.
Lauer lately has been busy listing his properties since his disgraceful downfall as the face of Today. He recently sold his Upper East Side apartment for more than the $7.35 million asking price. He also has listed his Sag Harbor home for $12.75 million, which is a massive price decline from the original asking price of $18 million.
"Matt's bending over backwards to give Annette everything she wants because he feels so guilty. But he would love the Hamptons home," a source told the outlet. Lauer has spent a great deal of time at the property since he was sacked by NBC, taking refuge in the privacy the six-acre estate offers. He bought the estate for $36.5million from Richard Gere in 2016.
The couple is believed to have agreed to share custody of their three children, Jack, 17, Romy, 14, and Thijs, 11, and sources, however, agree that he remains a "devoted dad."
"Matt still maintains the relationships he had in the workplace were consensual. He does feel like the poster boy of the #MeToo movement when he sees other high powered men hanging on to their jobs despite allegations."