Brooke Nevils, a former NBC producer, has spoken out about her sexual assault allegations against Matt Lauer, the former NBC anchor. In her new book, Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame and the Stories We Choose to Believe, she examines the complexities of consent, power imbalances, and victim behaviour.
Nevils alleged in Ronan Farrow's book Catch and Kill that Lauer sexually assaulted her in his hotel room during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and in subsequent incidents in New York. Lauer has consistently denied the allegations, describing the encounters as an 'extramarital affair'. No charges were ever brought.
Nevils says she initially blamed herself and struggled to understand why she maintained friendly communication with Lauer after the alleged assaults. She notes that victim behaviours such as freezing, acquiescing, or feigning pleasure are common and often misunderstood. 'I said no, then I just gave up,' she said, highlighting the difficulty of defining consent in power-imbalanced situations.
The book aims to challenge preconceptions about sexual assault, emphasising that most assaults are not committed by strangers. Nevils hopes to help others navigate the 'grey areas' of consent and victim response, drawing on interviews with sexual violence researchers and forensic psychologists.
