Why Matt Lauer's 'Paralyzed With Fear' About Katie Couric's Upcoming 'Blockbuster' Tell-All

Former "Today" host Matt Lauer is said to be quite concerned about the fact that his former co-star of nine years, Katie Couric, has begun writing a tell-all called "Unexpected." Due to his reported discomfort with the upcoming release of Couric's book, Lauer is said to be "begging" the "America Inside Out" host for a preview of what things will be included for the public to learn upon its official release.

Couric announced the upcoming work in a Feb. 12 tweet, which can be seen below.

According to Radar Online, an insider revealed that Lauer has reportedly been "blowing up Couric's phone asking for an advance peek" at her new book. However, the journalist supposedly has not given the disgraced TV host the access he desires. When faced with the request, Couric is said to have told him that she is just now entering the early stages of writing the project and cannot yet give him an outline.

"That has Matt paralyzed with fear because he knows she received a $12 million advance for the book and the publisher is expecting a blockbuster," revealed a source. Continuing, they added, "Katie doesn't intend to give Matt a heads-up. Matt's hoping to land a new TV gig, but Katie could torpedo him by bringing his scandal back into the news."

As for what could cause Lauer to feel such panic about the unreleased project, Couric had previously revealed that she didn't harbor the warmest sentiments about how her former coworker had conducted himself in the past. When speaking to at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast in Austin, Texas in 2018, the TV personality described Lauer's behavior as "shocking, honestly, and disturbing, disorienting, disheartening - all of those d-words."

As reported by Celebrity Insider, the author said she felt it was "the right time to look back, reflect, and consider what I've learned and how those lessons might help others."

"Unexpected" is slated to be released in 2021.