AWKWARD: Wendy Williams does NOT buy Katie Couric's defense of Matt Lauer's 'button' [video]

During an interview on the Wendy Williams Show, Katie Couric discussed the dismissal of her former “Today Show” co-host Matt Lauer by explaining why the now infamous door locking “button” on his desk was, in fact, nothing unusual in NBC exec offices:

Katie Couric Defends Lauer: ‘A Lot of NBC Execs’ Had Secret Buttons in Their Office https://t.co/iB3YHKDWLc

— NewsBusters (@newsbusters) May 1, 2018

Katie Couric Defends Lauer: ‘A Lot of NBC Execs’ Had Secret Buttons in Their Office https://t.co/4WdJ55fyt1 #TTT pic.twitter.com/M8JFbHN59F

— Scott Whitlock (@ScottJW) May 1, 2018

Well isn’t that interesting! Here’s a transcript of that portion of the interview, via Newsbusters, that left Wendy Williams in disbelief:

COURIC: I think the whole button thing, you know? I think — NBC — a lot of stuff gets misreported and blown out of proportion. A lot of NBC executives, they make it sound like some kind of den of inequity. I don’t know what was happening. A lot of NBC executives have those buttons that opened and closed doors.

WILLIAMS: Oh really?

COURIC: They did. I mean, it was really just a privacy thing. It wasn’t —

WILLIAMS: Shhh. You are saying a lot, girl. You are saying a lot.

COURIC: No, no, no.

WILLIAMS: Did you have a button. Did you have a button to open and close your door?

COURIC: I did not. No, no, no. Honestly I think it was an executive perk that some people opted to have and I don’t think it was a nefarious thing. I really don’t. And I think that is misconstrued. [Williams looks appalled.] You can look at me like that if you want.

WILLIAMS: We agree to disagree. I’ve known you for a long time. But you are on the “say it like you mean it show” and I can’t front.

Here’s video starting with Couric’s explanation of “the whole button thing” at NBC:

Hmm…

That's not a defense of Lauer. https://t.co/n69MCv5df8

— Rev. Ducati ? (@Reverend_Ducati) May 2, 2018

Er, not really!

https://twitter.com/ThinBlueLR/status/991710156076535808

I don't think that's a good of a defense as she thinks it is…

— Jeff Halm (@jeffhalm) May 2, 2018

That's not so much "reassuring" as it is "deeply disturbing".

Just FYI. https://t.co/lxOpYomtWk

— Daddy Warpig (@Daddy_Warpig) May 2, 2018

https://twitter.com/Natale732/status/991708070530174977

Uh… https://t.co/cSixLTsSBE

— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) May 2, 2018

This sounds awful, but apparently, it's true and they were put in for security reasons. Obviously, Lauer didn't use it that way…

— John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) May 2, 2018

Yea, I remember when the story first broke but this is an insane defense of Lauer.

— Stephen Gutowski (@StephenGutowski) May 2, 2018

'secret buttons' wtf?

— Fatoosh (@Fatooosh34) May 2, 2018

NBC News has really been plagued by its share of accusations lately, and it’s not just about Matt Lauer.