Matt Lauer’s 3 Kids: All About Jack, Romy and Thijs

Matt Lauer shares three children with his ex-wife Annette Roque

Matt Lauer has experienced ups and downs throughout his journalism career and personal life, but one constant in his life has been his three children: sons Jack and Thijs and daughter Romy.

Lauer shares his three children with his ex-wife, Annette Roque. The former morning show host and the Dutch model were set up on a blind date in July 1997 (just months after Lauer was named co-host of Today). There was “definitely a connection,” a source told PEOPLE in 1998 about their meeting. Within five months, Lauer had proposed to Roque and they were married by October 1998.

However, it would be nearly three years before Lauer and Roquette embarked on parenthood together. They welcomed their first child, a son named Jack, in June 2001, followed by daughter Romy in 2003 and son Thijs in 2006.

Over a decade later, Lauer’s career imploded and he was fired from Today in November 2017 after allegations of sexual assault and misconduct surfaced. In the wake of his firing, Lauer retreated to the Hamptons and kept his focus on his family — and according to those close to the former morning show anchor, that’s where his priorities remain today.

Though Lauer and Roque divorced in 2019, he maintains “a good relationship with his children and sees them often,” a source told PEOPLE exclusively in 2022.

“They are a priority in his life,” the source added.

Here’s everything to know about Matt Lauer's three kids: Jack, Romy and Thijs.

Jack Matthew Lauer, 23

Lauer and Roque became first-time parents when their son, Jack Matthew Lauer, was born on June 26, 2001, in New York City. For Lauer, becoming a father helped him to find a balance between his demanding career and his personal life.

“I was one of these people, especially early in my career, who balanced the equation too much in favor of my job; I spent most of my life focusing on that,” he told Good Housekeeping in 2007. “But becoming a dad gave me back perspective; it brought balance into my life.”

From a young age, Lauer and his older son bonded over sports. Lauer recalled in an interview with Today how, when Jack was around 6, his obsession switched from airplanes to all things sports-related. That enthusiasm continued throughout Jack’s childhood and teen years, with Lauer and his son frequently seen cheering on their favorite New York sports teams — from sitting courtside at Knicks games to rooting for the Rangers at the ice rink.

“He’s a sports fanatic,” Lauer told Today of Jack in 2008. “All he cares about is sports. Baseball in the summer, basketball in the winter, football in the fall. He loves it.”

Jack has led a relatively private life as a young adult. He has no public social media profiles and is rarely seen out with his father (who also has kept a low profile since his Today show firing in 2017), though the two are said to have a close relationship.

Romy Lauer, 21

Lauer and Roque’s second child — and only daughter — Romy was born on Oct. 2, 2003.

When she was 3 years old, she appeared in a special episode of Sesame Street with her father. The episode, titled Sesame Beginnings Exploring Together, featured scenes with Lauer reading to Romy while she sat on his lap.

As she’s grown up over the years, Romy has continued to be spotted with her father — even as Lauer has embraced a life out of the public eye. The father-and-daughter duo were seen celebrating her 18th birthday in the Hamptons in 2021, and Lauer made a rare public appearance at her high school graduation in East Hampton the following May.

Lauer has also stepped out publicly to support Romy at her competitive horse shows. He was seen supporting Romy, a talented equestrian, alongside his ex-wife Roque at the 2019 Hampton Classic Horse Show, per Entertainment Tonight.

“Couldn’t have asked for a better Hampton classic,” Romy wrote on her Instagram account following the event, alongside several photos of herself competing.

Romy currently attends the University of Miami. She has been in a relationship with University of Miami tennis player (and Spain native) Antonio Prat since April 2023, according to her Instagram. Her Instagram also highlights her love of travel, chronicling trips to Bali, Mongolia, Tanzania and more.

In September 2024, Romy made headlines for crashing a car into a fence in the Hamptons and leaving behind a piece of the license plate. The accident occurred in July, with a source telling PEOPLE it was “minor” and happened “close to her home” in New York, noting there was no DUI charge. The then-20-year-old was given a traffic ticket for leaving the scene, the source said, adding that there will be a settlement, not a trial.

Thijs Lauer, 17

Lauer and Roque welcomed their third child, a son named Thijs, on Nov. 28, 2006.

“The baby was born this morning at 9:37 a.m. in New York City. He weighed 7 lbs., 4 oz.,” a Today spokesperson told PEOPLE at the time. “Mom, Dad and baby are all doing well."

Thijs (pronounced “Tice”) is a common Dutch name that is short for Matthijs, the Dutch version of Matthew. With Roque hailing from the Netherlands and Lauer’s first name being Matthew, the name honored both parents.

Thijs was born at a stressful time in his parents’ relationship, however: Roque filed for divorce in September 2006 — when she was seven months pregnant — citing “cruel and inhumane” behavior. However, she withdrew her petition three weeks later.

While the teen has remained largely out of the spotlight, a former colleague of Lauer's told PEOPLE in 2017 that the former news anchor is dedicated to his children. “He loves his kids,” they said. “When you see him as a dad to those kids, he is a solid father with no holes in that record.”

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Read the original article on People.