Who is Matt Lauer’s entrepreneur girlfriend, Shamin Abas? She was friends with the disgraced former Today host for 20 years before they got together, and was just spotted at Don Lemon’s wedding

Apr 11 , 2024

Matt Lauer may be persona non grata in celebrity circles, but his girlfriend Shamin Abas is sticking by his side. Photos: WireImage, Getty Images

Matt Lauer – the TV host fired from the Today show for sexual misconduct more than six years ago – was spotted making a rare public appearance with his girlfriend, Shamin Abas, over the weekend.

The couple were seen walking hand in hand as they arrived at Don Lemon and Tim Malone’s wedding in New York, as reported by US media. According to the source, around 140 guests were invited to the former CNN host’s nuptials that took place on April 6.

Lauer and Abas have reportedly been dating for around five years. Lauer, a household name in the US, was fired as host of the Today show after damning sexual misconduct allegations. Per People, Lauer faced even more complaints after the initial accusation, with several victims coming forward to report multiple accounts of misconduct. He was iced out by many celebrity pals as a result.

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Here’s what we know about his current girlfriend:

Shamin Abas works in the luxury industry

Shamin Abas (pictured) had known Matt Lauer for almost 20 years before they began dating. Photo: Shamin Abas/Handout

Shamin Abas is an experienced businesswoman who works in the luxury sector. According to her company website, she has been running her eponymous experiential marketing and communications firm for 18 years. Her clients have included Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin, famous chef Daniel Boulud, Christie’s auction house, and space travel company Space Perspective.

She has co-founded multiple companies

Lil X and Shamin Abas at an event in The Hamptons, New York, in 2006. Photo: WireImage

Abas seems to have a thing for high-end cars. As seen on her website profile, she is also co-founder of The Bridge – a yearly, invitation-only classic car exhibition, and is a co-founder at CarCoterie, which debuted its first classic car event on Florida’s Amelia Island last year.

Besides her companies Shamin Abas, The Bridge and CarCoterie, she also co-founded The Ultra-High-Net-Worth Symposium and sits on The Luxury Council at NYU Stern, according to her website.

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She has celebrity connections

Record executive Russell Simmons with Shamin Abas during a Baby Phat event in 2006. Photo: WireImage

As you might expect, working in the luxury event space has given Abas access to plenty of high-net-worth clients over the years, including celebrities. She was pictured with Kimora Lee Simmons’ ex-husband Russell Simmons at a 2006 Baby Phat party, been papped alongside Gossip Girl’s Kelly Rutherford, and at a The Bridge event with Jon Bon Jovi in 2o22, to name a few.

She’s been married twice

Shamin Abas has her own marketing and communications firm. Photo: WireImage

Before dating Lauer, Abas was married twice, per People. According to the source, her first marriage was to a Detroit-based dentist, and she later also tied the knot with nightclub entrepreneur Frank Cilione.

How did Shamin Abas meet Matt Lauer?

Shamin Abas at a Ferrari event on Star Island in Miami, Florida in 2005. Photo: WireImage

According to People, Abas and Lauer met over two decades ago through work and became friends, but didn’t start dating until 2019. News of their relationship came after his divorce from ex-wife Annette Roque the same year.

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What happened to Matt Lauer and what is he doing now?

Former Today show host Matt Lauer at the Time 100 Gala in New York in 2012. Photo: EPA-EFE

In the six years since he was fired, Lauer has withdrawn from the public eye. The former TV host is rarely snapped out in public – so when he is, the pictures make headlines.

In December 2023, he was spotted in The Hamptons doing some shopping while wearing black jeans and an orange puffer jacket. Some media outlets have also reported that Lauer is considering a comeback, but his close friend Bryant Gumbel told reporters last year he doesn’t believe he would want to return.

“I think he misses being in the mix sometimes, but I don’t think he misses being on television. He’s got a lot on his plate right now. He’s enjoying his kids, he’s enjoying his life. [When] I talked to him last, he was heading out on his boat,” Gumbel said at The Apollo Spring Benefit in New York last summer.

Fame and celebrity

Matt Lauer, the TV host fired from NBC’s Today show for sexual misconduct more than 6 years ago, just made a rare public appearance with his girlfriend, Shamin Abas
Abas is an experienced businesswoman who works in the luxury sector, and has been running her eponymous marketing and communications company for 18 years