Matt Lauer's estranged wife formally files for divorce on LI
Matt Lauer and Annette Roque in 2013. Credit: Getty Images/Jemal Countess
Annette Roque, the estranged wife of former "Today" anchor Matt Lauer, has filed for divorce in Suffolk County.
"The case, which is an uncontested matrimonial, was filed on July 9th in State Supreme Court in Suffolk County, New York and is awaiting judicial review of the agreement," Lucian Chalfen, a New York State Unified Court System representative, told Newsday in a statement Thursday. "Upon a judge's signature, it will be sent to the court clerk's office to be entered. The process could take up to a few months."
TMZ.com first reported the filing, which Roque's attorney, John Teitler of the Park Avenue firm Teitler & Teitler, confirmed to the website.
Lauer, 61, and Roque, 52, a Dutch-born former model who had appeared in J. Crew advertisements and Victoria's Secret catalogs, had met on a blind date in 1997 and were married Oct. 3, 1998, at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church.They have three children: two sons Jack, 18, and Thijs, (pronounced "Tice,") 12, and a daughter, Romy, 15.
This is Lauer's second marriage. He was wed to TV producer Nancy Alspaugh from 1981 until divorcing in 1988; the two had no children.
Roque, well known in Hamptons equestrian circles, previously had filed to divorce Lauer in September 2006, alleging conduct that "so endangers the physical and mental well-being of plaintiff so as to render it unsafe and improper for plaintiff to cohabit with defendant,” according to the public court document posted online by the National Enquirer. She later withdrew the petition.
Lauer was fired from "Today" on Nov. 29, 2017, following numerous allegations of sexual misconduct. In a statement the following day, he said in a statement, "There are no words to express my sorrow and regret for the pain I have caused others by words and actions . . . "Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. I regret that my shame is now shared by the people I cherish dearly."
