8 Things to Know About Matt Lauer's Wife, Annette Roque
The disgraced former Today show anchor and his wife are reportedly "barely speaking."
Since Matt Lauer was fired from the Today show for "inappropriate sexual behavior," he has reportedly been "focused on family," and the ex-anchor issued a statement saying he is "truly sorry" and feels "sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions."
Today, Page Six reports that Lauer has agreed to pay his soon-to-be ex-wife Annette Roque up to $20 million in a divorce.
“Things really have settled down," a source says, sharing that the couple is separating on relatively good terms. "Matt and Annette are getting on and they’re both spending time with their kids. They hope to settle the divorce very soon.”
Earlier this year, People reported that Lauer's communication with Roque, was "heavily fragmented" even though Lauer "was still on the property where his wife of 20 years and three children are living in the Hamptons." The two were "barely speaking," a source told the celebrity magazine.
In April, Roque was spotted "taking time for herself" earlier this year in the Netherlands, where she was photographed in February having lunch with a female friend at Rijks, the restaurant at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. "They were drinking red wine, and Annette did not have her wedding ring on," a source said. "She was laughing through the whole lunch."
Here are a few things to know about Roque, Lauer's wife and the mother of his three children.
Roque was reportedly born in the Netherlands in 1966.
She's reportedly part Indonesian and has been featured in cosmetics ads and J. Crew and Victoria's Secret catalogs. In the 1980s and 1990s, she went by Jade Roque professionally.
Roque met Lauer on a blind date in July 1997.
Stylist Maria Santoro set up the pair. "They had a drink, he got her number, and that was it," a friend told People in 1998.
The two wed at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church on Long Island in front of about 100 guests on October 3, 1998.
It was the second wedding for Lauer, whose previous marriage to Nancy Alspaugh ended in divorce in 1988. "They wanted to keep it intimate," wedding coordinator Elizabeth Allen told People.
They have three children together.
Here, Jack, Romy, Thijs, and Matt attend the Philadelphia 76ers/New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden on January 18, 2016. A source told Page Six that Lauer left New York City on Wednesday after he was fired "to see his 16-year-old son, Jack, to 'explain what happened and why he was fired in person.'"
In 2006, Roque reportedly filed for divorce.
The National Enquirer reported, based on documents it obtained, that in the filing Roque called Lauer "extremely controlling" and accused him of "cruel and inhumane acts" that put her "physical and mental well-being" in danger. The divorce papers were withdrawn three weeks after they were filed after Lauer reportedly offered her "a post-nuptial agreement and millions more dollars." If Roque files for divorce now, a source tells Page Six that "she is expected to challenge it given Matt’s earnings since 2006, and given how he has humiliated her."
Roque and her daughter, Romy, are avid equestrians.
"We have a horse farm here in the Hamptons," Lauer told Newsday during the 2014 Hampton Classic Horse Show. "My wife and daughter ride like crazy. And so we love the competition."
The couple reportedly purchased Bright Side Farm in Water Mill in 2012 for $3.5 million.
"The Lauers think of Bright Side Farm as an extension of their own home—a gathering place, where clients and their horses are welcomed like they’re part of the family," the farm's website description reads. The farm has 36 stalls and a 24,000-square-foot indoor ring, but its construction was not without controversy; neighbor Jack Wassman reportedly complained that trees planted on the property blocked his view of the farm and violated Southampton Planning Board restrictions.
Roque and Lauer bought Richard Gere's former Hamptons home in 2016.
They reportedly paid $33 million for the 19,000-square-foot house, which is called Strongheart Manor and includes a whopping 12 bedrooms and 12 baths.
Sam Dangremond is a Contributing Digital Editor at Town & Country, where he covers men's style, cocktails, travel, and the social scene.
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