The iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade looked a little different this year.
On Thursday, NBC aired its annual Thanksgiving day parade from 9 a.m. ET to noon in the heart of New York City — but notably missing from the team of Today show stars anchoring the festivities, of course, was Matt Lauer. Instead, Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker took over as viewers were treated to a spectacle of floats and several musical performances.
The event marked the first Thanksgiving parade since the longtime Today show anchor, 60, was fired by NBC for alleged sexual misconduct. News of his ousting broke overnight on Nov. 29 last year.
In the months since, Lauer has kept a low profile, moving from New York City to the Hamptons compound where his estranged wife, Annette Roque, also lives. The couple split following his dismissal and are remaining out of the spotlight as they work through their divorce.
A source told PEOPLE earlier this year that Lauer “is not planning any kind of TV comeback right now,” instead focusing on his three children with Roque: sons Jack, 17, and Thijs, 11, and daughter Romy, 15.
“Matt doesn’t really socialize much with his friends anymore,” the source said. “He’s been staying close to home and laying really low and focusing all his energy on the kids. If he does go out, it’s for them. He supports his kids’ events.”
“The divorce isn’t final, but they’re still proceeding with it, and it should be finalized before too long,” the source added. “They’re still working out the division of the assets, though nothing is final.”
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As for his ex-colleagues? Lauer’s former co-anchor Guthrie, 46, told PEOPLE in September that she hasn’t seen him since his termination, though she tries to “keep in touch on text.”
“I think, as far as I can tell, he’s really focused on his kids and his family,” she said.
Reflecting on the scandal, Guthrie said “all of it has been an adjustment.”
“This has been just such a profound year in our industry, in every industry,” she said. “It’s something I try not to dwell on too much, because I don’t know that that would be very productive, but everybody knows how sad and sorry and shocked I was about everything that happened, and I hope everyone knows how grateful I am to Hoda as a partner now.” (Kotb, 54, officially replaced Lauer in January.)
“It’s a change, of course. It wasn’t an easy change, but I feel really lucky that we are where we are,” she added. “I feel like the show is in a very good place. That’s a testament to all of the people who work so hard behind the scenes and to the enduring goodness of this show — that it can withstand even something that was so difficult.”
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