NBC News Booker Matt Zimmerman Fired Amid Misconduct Claims

Matt Zimmerman, a veteran of NBC News, has been fired amid allegations of inappropriate conduct with two women at the news division. 

“We have recently learned that Matt Zimmerman engaged in inappropriate conduct with more than one woman at NBCU, which violated company policy. As a result, he has been dismissed,” an NBC News spokesperson said Tuesday in a statement.

Sources say the allegations were recently brought to the attention of human resources. At issue were multiple relationships with women who were junior to Zimmerman and, in at least one case, a direct report, said one source. NBC News policy stipulates that such relationships must be disclosed to human resources. Zimmerman, who was a senior vp at NBC News, is a veteran of The Today Show and in 2014 was elevated to lead a streamlined NBC News booking department. 

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His dismissal follows that of NBC News and MSNBC analyst Mark Halperin, who was revealed to have made unwanted advances toward numerous women when he was a political director at ABC News. Journalist Emily Miller claimed on Twitter that Halperin “attacked” her, and he subsequently was dropped by his Game Change publisher as well as HBO, which had optioned his upcoming campaign 2016 book with writing partner John Heilemann. 

In the six weeks since the disturbing revelations about disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, sexual harassment claims have swept through multiple industries and government offices. Numerous Hollywood executives, agents and showrunners have been fired amid accusations of harassment and assault. And a growing list of actors, including Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K., have been brought low by allegations about their conduct over decades in the industry. Meanwhile, the TV news business, like the entertainment industry, also is bracing for more claims as social media has given victims a platform and companies adopt a zero-tolerance stance toward misconduct.