Have you Met Lenny?

If you watch the show formerly known as Katie and now known as Meredith, you recognize Lenny. He’s in the crowd every morning.

Who is he?

I dunno.

I figured I could do a little internet searching and figure it out. All I found was other people talking about how they couldn’t find anything about him either. And yes, Thea, I even tried “Googling my brains out.” It’s exhausting.

Now, as Glenn Beck would say…Here’s what I do know:

His first name is Lenny. His last name is Boyette. Lenny Boyette.

He’s from the Bronx.

He stands in the crowd of the Today Show every morning and he’s never in the third or even second row; he’s always right in front. He even gets a front row spot on concert days—even if there’s a big concert like Kool and the Gang.

I remember the first time Matt Lauer acknowledged him. He said something like, “We see you here every day, what’s your name?”

He said, “Lenny.”

I don’t remember what happened after that but I guess we didn’t get anymore information.

Then he was gone for a couple of weeks back in 2000 or 2001. When he came back Matt asked him where he’d been and he said he had to have surgery.

And apparently he wasn’t there just to stalk Katie (as was my original theory). He’s continued to show up to the show these last two weeks while Meredith and Al pretend to like each other through clenched teeth. Today he even brushed some lint off of Meredith’s shoulder and then she turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Matt gave him a high five!

I think he might even go to Weekend Today but I’m not sure. I’ll check tomorrow and let you know.

Here’s what I don’t know:

Who he is
Why he comes to the Today Show every morning
How he manages to stand there for three hours crammed in with all those people. (I did it once and I could only last about 45 minutes.)
How early he has to get there to get that good spot
If he has a job
If he eats breakfast before he arrives or after (and if it's cereal, is he a sogger or a cruncher?)
Why he always wears sunglasses and a hat
His opinion on Neil Diamond

Thanks for playing "Have you met Lenny?" I hope you feel like you know him better now. If you don't, no need to worry. I've been watching the dude for seven years and I just figured out his last name.

And if I had to guess, I'd say he's a sogger.