Charlie Rose suspended after harassment claims
Longtime PBS/CBS host accused of sexual misconduct by eight former colleagues
Veteran broadcaster Charlie Rose was suspended by CBS News on Monday following a Washington Post report that he sexually harassed eight women who worked on his PBS talk show.
Rose, 75, acknowledged and apologized for the behaviour recounted in the Post investigation, which details unwanted sexual advances toward the women, appearing nude in their presence and groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas. The women, aged 21 to 37 at the time, worked at Charlie Rose from the 1990s to 2010, the report said.
CBS News issued a brief statement saying Rose has been suspended “immediately while we look into this matter.” Rose is also a contributor to the CBS newsmagazine 60 Minutes. A PBS spokesperson said the broadcaster would immediately suspend distribution of Rose’s nightly talk show Charlie Rose.
Most of the women told the Post that Rose alternated between fury and flattery in his interactions with them. Five described Rose putting his hand on their legs, sometimes their upper thigh, in what they per- ceived as a test to gauge their reactions. Two said that while they were working for Rose at his residences or travelling with him on business, he emerged from the shower and walked naked in front of them. One said he groped her buttocks at a staff party.
For all of the women, Post reporters interviewed friends, colleagues or family members who said the women had confided in them about aspects of the incidents. Three of the eight spoke on the record.
Five of the women spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of Rose’s stature in the industry, his power over their careers or what they described as his volatile temper, the Post reported.
“In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked,” Rose said in a statement provided to the Post. “Nevertheless, in the past few days, claims have been made about my behaviour toward some former female colleagues.
“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behaviour. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”
The Post report is a potentially punishing blow to CBS This Morning, which is the most successful morning franchise in the network’s history.
After decades of futility against NBC’s Today and ABC’s Good Morning America, the team of Rose and co-anchors Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell has given CBS its best morning ratings in 29 years.
Rose and King became co-anchors of the program in 2012. O’Donnell joined the show in July of that year, six months after its launch.
CBS This Morning has successfully positioned itself as substantive, newsier alternative to the other network morning programs, which go to softer, entertainment-oriented content after the first half-hour. Rose’s stature, built by his respected nightly, in-depth interview program for PBS and Bloomberg, helped give CTM a more serious image that was drawing viewers and kudos.