As if Matt Lauer didn't have enough on his mind. First he loses his longtime co-anchor Katie Couric to the world of nightly news, and now he's embroiled in Seatbeltgate. Lauer was forced to own up to his mistake of not wearing his safety belt during an interview segment that ran on Wednesday. The congenial "Today" newsman taped an interview with potential Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Tuesday while the two men rode in the back of an SUV. Shockingly neither man had buckled up, forcing over 100 viewers to call in and complain.
Interestingly, Lauer had interviewed New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine only a few weeks ago about his injuries stemming from a car crash earlier this year. The Governor was not wearing his seat belt.
I guess the "Today" producers have Lauer's back, though. They noticed the seatbelt mistake before the interview aired and advised him to apologize to viewers immediately following the segment. Lauer admitted he "should have set a better example." Don't worry Matt, you're only in trouble until Paris or Lindsay do something crazy again and the pubic forgets all about you. --Chris Sardelli