Veteran actor levels Matt Lauer in a scorching rant while appearing on “The Talk”

Denis Leary, the star of firefighter drama “Rescue Me,” didn’t hold back in a fiery rant against Matt Lauer while appearing on “The Talk.”

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The 60-year-old actor made no bones about disliking Lauer long before the allegations of sexual misconduct came out against him. He recalled his disgust with the disgraced journalist a decade ago, reported PEOPLE.

RELATED: Matt Lauer and his wife allegedly had marital issues long before the sexual misconduct allegations

“I thought he was a creepy, douchey guy from the get-go,” a passionate Leary said on Thursday. “I stopped being interviewed by him on the ‘TODAY’ show about 10 years ago because he was so creepy,” he expressed. “I just got a weird, weaselly vibe from the guy, and I said to my publicist, I said, ‘I don’t want to be interviewed by him any longer.’”

Leary refused to be interviewed further on on the talk show unless it was by one of Lauer’s female co-hosts, which he maintained most recently while promoting his one of his most recent projects, “Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll.”

Leary continued his red-hot rant, saying, “I do think people deserve second chance, but when you have a button under your desk to lock women into your office, you know what, screw you!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sqW53j23t8

“The Talk” ladies cheered Leary as he slammed Lauer, with co-host Sharon Osbourne, exclaiming “I love you!” appreciatively.

To the glee of the audience, Leary and Osbourne told Lauer — who reportedly wouldn’t be attempting a career comeback — to enjoy his unemployment at the golf course with his “creepy buddies.”

RELATED: The “TODAY” holiday party had a much different tone following disgraced Matt Lauer’s dismissal

In addition to the downfall of his career, Lauer’s marriage has also reportedly collapsed. His wife of 19 years, Annette Roque, was recently spotted without her wedding ring as her father issued harsh words for her scorned spouse.

“She is not going to stay with him and work it out. They are not together trying to work it out,” her father Henri told the Daily Mail. “I have no words for her husband. What he has done is bad. Everybody feels betrayed.”

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