Awkwardness was the name of the game on “The Today Show” this morning, when cohost Meredith Viera introduced a segment about marriage by asking cohost Matt Lauer how old he was when he tied the knot. Her inquiry was initially met with silence, only broken when someone off-stage yelled a sarcastic “Nice!” So why all the awkwardness? Apparently, Matt has a less-than-stellar nuptial history — his first marriage ended in divorce and wife number two also filed for divorce in September (but later withdrew the suit). Here’s how it all went down:

MATT LAUER: Then we’re going to talk about marriage. What is the right age to get married?

MEREDITH VIEIRA: I don’t know. I got married in my 30s. When did you get married?

MATT LAUER: Ah . . .

Someone off camera yells “nice!”

MEREDITH VIEIRA: Anyway, I’m sorry. Oh geez.

MATT LAUER: The average age — let’s just start this show over. On average in this country women get married at 26, men at 28. Those are the averages. But how does your age impact your choice of a mate, and your chances for living happily ever after? Probably a more important question. We’ll get into that later.

MEREDITH VIEIRA: I don’t think I’m going to be one of those that lives happily ever after, after this show!

And feel free to be disappointed like I was. When I hear the words “embarrassing” and “uncomfortable silence,” there better damn well be a pants-ing or an audible fart somewhere in the mix. God willing, an Al Roker naked with two Taiwanese she-males rubbing butter pecan icecream on his nipples. None of this “referencing marital discourse” type gaffe. There’s a name for boring shame, and it’s called Kathy Lee Gifford. No thanks.

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