Who is Brooke Nevils? Husband and more about Matt Lauer’s accuser as she details alleged sexual assault

In a brand-new personal essay published on The Cut on January 28, a former NBC talent assistant and producer, Brooke Nevils, detailed her alleged sexual assault at the hands of veteran TV news anchor Matt Lauer in 2014. The excerpt is part of Nevils’ upcoming memoir, Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe.

According to Nevils, she was among the NBC News employees in Sochi, Russia, covering the Olympics. One evening, she reportedly met Lauer at a hotel bar and was later invited back to his room, where he allegedly coerced her into having anal sex, causing her pain and leaving her bleeding for days.

Brooke Nevils, who is married to Republican political consultant/strategist Luke Thompson, recalled the aftermath of the alleged assault.

“One strikingly clear thought crossed my mind and then was instantly struck from my consciousness: If anyone else had done this to me, I would have gone to the police… In the news business back then, his point of view was reality, and if you disagreed with it, you were wrong," she claimed while explaining why it was difficult to speak up.

It is noteworthy that Brooke Nevils did notify NBC of the alleged assault three years later. The network also fired Matt Lauer for “inappropriate sexual behavior” in the workplace, which led to him losing his two-decade-long gig and multimillion-dollar contract as the co-anchor of The Today Show.

Writing about her alleged assault in Russia, Nevils added in her forthcoming book:

“I was surrounded by people whose careers, like mine, were dependent upon Matt's success. Good quarterbacks have short memories, I told myself. Good soldiers fight another day. Good girls don't make a fuss.”

When news broke that NBC ousted Matt Lauer, the identity of Brooke Nevils was kept anonymous upon her request. Later, it became public when she sat down with Ronan Farrow to detail her experience for his 2019 book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators.

At the time, Lauer, now aged 68, denied the accusation in a lengthy letter to Variety, calling it “outrageous and false,” while also claiming his sexual encounter with Nevils was “extramarital, but consensual.”

All about Brooke Nevils amid her latest allegations against Matt Lauer

According to PEOPLE Magazine’s December 2022 profile on Brooke Nevils, she was born and raised in Missouri. She later graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and Writing Seminars.

As a fresh college pass-out, Nevils joined NBC as an errand girl at its 30 Rockefeller Plaza office in New York City. Her job included greeting celebrity guests and escorting them to the interview room on time.

During a 2010 interview with her university’s Arts and Sciences Magazine, Brooke recalled that her most memorable day was meeting Robert De Niro and retrieving his lost wallet from the cab he arrived in with his manager.

Brooke Nevils was quickly promoted to the position of a personal assistant for then–Today co-anchor Meredith Vieira. She ran errands for Vieira, got her meals, and helped her with research on her interview guests.

Nevils told the magazine that working for Meredith was a “great learning experience” and allowed her to meet several A-listers, including George Clooney, Barbra Streisand, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Subsequently, Brooke Nevils became a producer for the network, which involved her working 60 hours a week, pitching stories, doing research, finding guests, and packaging 3–5 minute segments on The Today Show.

“You never know what you're going to be doing, ever. At the end of the day, what's most important to me is that my work gets seen and that it makes a difference to the people who watch it — that it informs them, makes them laugh or gives them something to talk about with their moms,” Nevils stated, referring to not getting enough credit for her job.

Back then, her name appeared at the end of every broadcast in a “quick flash,” and she also didn’t get bylines for her stories. For instance, Nevils was the assistant producer for the 2010 docu-soap reality TV series Sister Wives and the 2014 documentary A Leap of Faith: A Meredith Vieira Special. For the latter, she earned an Emmy nomination.

Other NBC shows produced by Brooke Nevils include Headliners (2017), Royal Wedding Watch, and 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After?

Brooke Nevils was already engaged to Lucas Todd “Luke” Thompson in October 2019 when Ronan Farrow’s book was released. At the time, Luke was the President of Ad Astra Insights Inc. Before that, the New Yorker worked as the Director of Research and Vice President at Applecart.

Luke Thompson is a native of Lawrence, Kansas. He earned his degree from the University of Kansas before obtaining a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Yale University, where he also served as a lecturer. He was also a visiting student at the University of Cambridge.

Now aged 41, Thompson is the President at Cerberus and is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Earlier, he served as an advisor for Right to Rise USA, executive director for The New Analytics Company, and as a fellow/director of analytics at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

When Brooke Nevils’ allegations against Matt Lauer surfaced in 2019, Luke Thompson, who jokingly calls himself her “housekeeper” on his X bio, rallied behind her. He retweeted former Today host Megyn Kelly.

“The attacks being heaped on Brooke Nevils by ppl who have no clue how unchecked power can infect a workplace are deeply misguided. No sane person can think Lauer’s behavior here-that to which he *admits*-was anything less than abhorrent,” the post read.

It remains unclear when the couple tied the knot. However, according to PEOPLE, they are married and have children.

Nevils and Thompson have been together at least since November 2018, when he praised her Thanksgiving meal preparations and “love decorations” on X.

Matt Lauer, who was once known as the longest-running Today host, has faced multiple sexual misconduct allegations over the years. However, he has continued to maintain his innocence and has not faced criminal charges as of writing.

Meanwhile, Nevils mentioned in her latest book that she, too, is “implicated in my own abuse,” as she kept quiet for too long and let it happen more than once. Brooke further claimed she was coerced into having sex at Lauer’s New York apartment after returning from Russia, calling him a “monster.”

Additionally, she recalled spending time in a psych ward after leaving NBC, despite receiving a “seven-figure” severance package.

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Matt Lauer has yet to address the recent matter.

Unspeakable Things: Silence, Shame, and the Stories We Choose to Believe will be released on February 3.

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