NBC

Tom Brokaw is being accused of making inappropriate and unwanted advances ... on 2 female co-workers in separate incidents in the 1990s.

One of the women, Linda Vester, claims the veteran broadcast journalist and former anchor of NBC Nightly News sexually harassed her while she was a reporter for NBC on "Weekend Today" in 1994 ... according to a report by The Washington Post.

Vester claims he asked her to have a drink with him, she replied "I only drink milk and cookies" ... and Brokaw later called her room around 3 AM and told her to order the milk and cookies because he was coming over.

She then says he showed up uninvited and attempted to force a kiss on her, jerking her head towards his, but she resisted ... then he left.

The second woman -- who chose to remain anonymous -- says she was a former PA at NBC News when he took her hands and put them under his jacket against his chest. He then invited her to his office later on ... insinuating he wanted to give her more than job advice.

She says she left the company shortly thereafter.

Meek Mill getting out of prison doesn't mean he's out of the clutches of the criminal justice system ... at least that's how he's viewing his situation 24 hours after getting released on bail.

Meek sat down with Lester Holt for NBC's 'Nightly News,' and rather than celebrate ... the Philly rapper explained why he doesn't feel free and hasn't since he was a teenager.

Steve Harvey and his talk show producers are being accused of tarting up a hardworking single mom, who also happens to be a fitness model ... according to a lawsuit.

The "Steve Harvey" episode aired in April 2016, and the woman, Dominique Collier, says she had responded to a casting call for "single professional women who like to show off their looks."

She claims producers told her the show would highlight her being a professional single mom, who's also a fitness model. In her lawsuit, she says that's not how it all went down. Dominique showed up for the taping in a conservative outfit -- a long-sleeved blouse and pencil skirt -- but producers put her in a halter top and form-fitting skirt ... according to the suit.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, she says the segment included an audience vote on her looks, and responses included ... "whore," "slut," "ratchet" and "daddy issues." Dominique says she fired off a cease and desist to the show to remove the audience poll from the segment before it aired -- and even though producers obliged, she says the damage was done in front of the live audience.

She also claims they altered pics of her to make her look more provocative.

She says she felt demeaned and was backstage crying when Harvey walked up and handed her the clothing she arrived in, including her bra and undergarments.

5:01 PM PT -- Chicago Fire producer Dick Wolf released a statement on Brown's death. He says, "The Chicago Fire family is devastated to lose one of its own. Our thought and prayers are with DuShon's family and we will all miss her."

5:25 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us Brown was at home Friday morning when her family called paramedics because she was feeling ill. We're told she was taken to the hospital, where she died around noon. Her death is now being investigated by the medical examiner.

"Chicago Fire" actress DuShon Monique Brown has died after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Production sources tell us Brown admitted herself to a Chicago hospital a few days ago after suffering chest pains, we're told she went through tests but was released a short time later.

Things apparently took a turn for the worse Friday ... our sources say Brown died at home after some type of cardiac episode.

DuShon -- a Chicago native -- has been on "Chicago Fire" since the show started in 2012. She played Connie, the assistant to Chief Boden. She was also on "Prison Break" from 2005 to 2007.

DuShon has a background in social work and a Masters in Counseling and once worked as a counselor at a local high school.

Brown also starred in a made for TV movie titled "Public Housing Unit" about Chicago cops ... the project is set to premiere later this year.

She leaves behind a daughter.

6:00 PM PT -- A rep for Questlove tells us he denies the "ridiculous allegations" in this suit, adding ... "Racism is REAL and exists throughout the world and for these gentlemen to claim victim is not only disrespectful to Questlove and his band mates, but to all that truly endure racism on a daily basis."

3:36 PM PT -- A rep for NBC tells us, "NBC is committed to providing a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We have strong policies in place that protect against discrimination in any form. The decision about these plaintiffs was the company's alone."

Questlove demanded NBC fire two white camera guys on the 'Tonight Show' over a racist group text they never asked to be a part of ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Camera operators Kurt Decker and Michael Cimino just filed suit against the TV network and the leader of The Roots after what they claim was misappropriated blame and racial retaliation from Questlove after each of them received a racist text he caught wind of.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, a stagehand sent Decker, Cimino and Roots member Mark Kelley -- who's black -- a text during a taping of the 'Tonight Show' last year, which they say they never asked for or responded to. They say they tried explaining this to NBC execs in an attempt to distance themselves from the vile text, which they feared would be associated with them.

Questlove got wind of this and demanded that NBC fire the camera operators, which NBC did.

Matt Lauer sure doesn't look like a guy who just got kicked out of the house by his wife -- 'cause they're still showing up to the same places ... albeit separately.

Matt and his wife of 20 years, Annette Roque, both arrived Monday to a horse farm in Sag Harbor, Long Island -- this after a rumor went out this week that she'd kicked him out of their Hamptons home.

They did not arrive together, but did appear right around the same time at 11 AM ET. Annette has not filed for divorce or signaled any formal separation from her fired hubby, who was accused of sexual misconduct while at NBC's 'Today' morning show.

Kathie Lee Gifford is shutting down rumors Kris Jenner will replace Hoda Kotb as her co-host on 'Today' ... even though she says she'd make a great one.

We got Kathie Wednesday leaving Michael's New York and asked if a Hollywood rumor going around that Kris was interested and "campaigning hard" for the co-host gig was true -- after Hoda permanently replaced Matt Lauer from 7 to 9 AM.

Kathie assures us Hoda's sticking around in the 4th hour -- apparently, she's under a long-term contract.

Ann Curry makes it clear ... the conduct that got Matt Lauer fired from anchoring "Today" was no surprise to her ... because she says that was the culture at NBC.

Curry appeared on "CBS This Morning" Wednesday to talk about her experiences with Lauer and others. She clearly knew the anchors were going to zero in on her former co-host yet seemed reluctant to open up ... though she did.

Hoda Kotb isn't sweating reports she's making $18 million less than Matt Lauer after taking over his "Today" co-anchor seat ... and insists there's no bad blood with her ex-coworker.

We got Hoda Wednesday morning outside 30 Rock, and she said Matt sent her a congratulatory text after finding out she got the gig. Then we asked about her alleged new salary of about $7 million -- the same as Savannah Guthrie -- but way less than Lauer.

Hoda addressed it ... with all the class you'd expect.

A guy who says Michelle Obama invited him to a taping of "The Voice" is suing NBC after claiming the network treated him like a criminal, and now he struggles to find work.

Greg Duncan says The Office of the First Lady back in 2016 invited him to a taping honoring military veterans. He says he went through 2 security screens and an agent from the U.S. Secret Service told him to enjoy the show.

But in docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Duncan says he was later approached by NBC's security and Sheriffs and told to scram. He says no explanation was given and only that the Secret Service ordered him gone.

Duncan says he had a meeting set for June 17, 2016 with the Secret Service to get the low-down on why he was booted. Problem is ... Duncan, who says he's a commander with the U.S. Coast Guard, says he showed up to NBC's lot the day before for a commercial shoot but was told he's permanently banned.

Hoda Kotb's slipping into Matt Lauer's old chair after being named the "Today" show co-anchor.

NBC made it official Tuesday morning ... and Hoda and her new partner, Savannah Guthrie, breathlessly announced it at the top of the show.

Back on Nov. 29 ... Hoda and Savannah dropped the shocker that the Peacock had fired Matt Lauer over sexual harassment claims made by more than a dozen women.

Hoda's workload just skyrocketed ... in addition to replacing Matt, she'll also keep her gig co-hosting with Kathie Lee Gifford for the 4th hour of 'Today.'

David Spade continues to pay the price for starring on "Just Shoot Me!" ... especially when the cast gets together for a reunion dinner.

We got David, Laura San Giacomo, Wendie Malick and pretty much everyone else from Blush magazine Saturday night at Craig's in WeHo. We asked who picks up the tab, and Dave says it always seems to make it to his seat, for some reason.

Laura had a great response, btw, when we asked if Blush got swallowed up by Disney -- since it seems to be buying everything else in media these days.

We're guessing Spade would appreciate the Mouse House buying one of these dinners.

Matt Lauer hit up a Long Island deli late Wednesday morning ... the same deli his wife hit up hours earlier.

Matt walked out of the Jimmy Jims Deli with another customer -- the 2 clearly had some sort of conversation inside and said goodbye to each other as they walked out the door.

He was much more subdued with the photog who asked about the various allegations.

It's interesting ... his wife, Annette, was not wearing a wedding ring when she made her deli run. Matt was not wearing his ring either.

Matt Lauer's punching in for his new gig ... picking up kids for his elementary school carpool.

Lauer was driving his 11-year-old son, Thijs, to school Monday morning, and also scooped up one of his kid's friends too. Coming off a $25 million/year gig at NBC ... we're guessing the disgraced news anchor is immediately in the running for world's richest school bus driver.

Interestingly, Lauer is still rocking his wedding ring ... as he was last week too.

Billy Bush is calling out Donald Trump ... asserting that it was, in fact, him on the Access Hollywood tape, and he DID say "Grab 'em by the p****."

Bush penned an op-ed for the New York Times Sunday with the title "Yes, Donald Trump, You Said That." In the piece, he says it clear as day ... "He said it. 'Grab ‘em by the p****.' Of course he said it. And we laughed along, without a single doubt that this was hypothetical hot air from America’s highest-rated bloviator."

Trump has reportedly tried casting doubt on the authenticity of the Access Hollywood tape, suggesting it could be a fake. But Bush crushes that notion completely.

The op-ed also covers Bush's rise at NBC, with a seemingly defiant Bush writing ... "Was I acting out of self-interest? You bet I was. Was I alone? Far from it. With Mr. Trump’s outsized viewership back in 2005, everybody from Billy Bush on up to the top brass on the 52nd floor had to stroke the ego of the big cash cow along the way to higher earnings."

He adds ... "None of us were guilty of knowingly enabling our future president. But all of us were guilty of sacrificing a bit of ourselves in the name of success."

Bush ends by saying the past year has been an awakening for him, and he feels he's a better man now for his 3 daughters. He left NBC after the tape surfaced last year during the election.

Matt Lauer's not getting his ass kicked to the curb in NYC ... at least when it comes to his favorite restaurant.

We're told Matt is more than welcome at Fresco by Scotto in NYC, despite the mounting sexual misconduct allegations that got him canned after more than 20 years at NBC.

Owner Anthony Scotto tells TMZ, Lauer and his brood are like family and, despite the allegations, he'd give Matt a hug the next time he comes into the restaurant.

The ex-"Today" host has been going to the place for 16 years ... dining there last with his family just this past Thanksgiving. He's already been seen out and about in the Hamptons ... but showing up in NYC's a different beast.