Fired staffer source of Keillor allegation
MINNEAPOLIS — The person who first accused the creator of A Prairie Home Companion of inappropriate conduct with a female employee was a disgruntled male staffer who spoke up after he was fired from the show last summer, according to a report published Friday.
The Star Tribune said the informant was Dan Rowles, a close associate of Garrison Keillor and 16-year employee with the show. His disclosure triggered internal and external investigations by Minnesota Public Radio that concluded that Keillor had engaged in dozens of sexually inappropriate incidents over the years involving a longtime female writer for the show whose name has not been made public.
The woman did not give station officials her own account until two months after Rowles told them of Keillor’s alleged misconduct. Attorney Frances Baillon, who represents both Rowles and the woman, declined to address why the writer chose to wait until last fall to lodge a complaint against Keillor. She told the newspaper her clients are still negotiating with MPR over the terms of a confidential settlement. The attorney said Rowles was not acting from selfish motives: “Because our client believes people should feel safe at work, he raised his concerns about inappropriate workplace conduct.”
Keillor retired from the show in 2016. MPR informed Rowles in mid-August that he would not be invited back for a second season with new host Chris Thile, the newspaper reported.