CBS chief faces inquiry over misconduct allegations
Leslie Moonves, the chief executive of the CBS Corporation and one of the most powerful people in the media business, is facing an investigation after a report published on Friday revealed allegations of sexual harassment made against him by six women.
The CBS board of directors said in a statement Friday that it would investigate any allegations of misconduct, and that the claims, detailed in an investigative article in The New Yorker, would “be taken seriously.”
“Upon the conclusion of that investigation, which involves recently reported allegations that go back several decades, the board will promptly review the findings and take appropriate action,” the statement said. The board plans to hire a law firm to conduct the review before it takes any action, the company said.
CBS shares fell by more than 6 percent Friday when news of the impending New Yorker article was reported.
The article, written by the investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, describes sexual harassment alleged by six women in the entertainment business against Mr. Moonves. It links the accusations to a broader culture of sexual harassment at CBS, with a special focus on CBS News.
Four women spoke to Mr. Farrow on the record, including the film and television actress Illeana Douglas. Ms. Douglas described a meeting with Mr. Moonves in 1997 during which, she said, he was “violently kissing” her while holding her down. “The physicality of it was horrendous,” she told The New Yorker.
Mr. Moonves, 68, began his career as an actor before recasting himself as a Hollywood producer and, later, as a network executive. Under his watch, CBS went from last place in the ratings to the most-watched television network, with hits like “The Big Bang Theory,” “Survivor” and “Young Sheldon.”
Mr. Moonves, who became the president of CBS Entertainment in 1995 and the chief executive of the company in 2006, draws an annual pay package of $69.3 million. But his role as company head has been in jeopardy because of his part in a continuing legal battle against CBS’s parent company, National Amusements.
In addition to Ms. Douglas, the women who made on-the-record accusations were the writer Janet Jones and the producers Christine Peters and Julie Kirgo. All of the women said Mr. Moonves had insisted on sexual favours and retaliated against them when they turned him down. The earliest allegations in the article date to the mid-1980s, and the most recent to 2006.
In a statement that CBS had earlier shared with The New Yorker, Mr. Moonves said: “I recognise that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected — and abided by the principle — that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career.”
CBS, in a separate statement, said it “is very mindful of all workplace issues and takes each report of misconduct very seriously.”
It added, “We do not believe, however, that the picture of our company created in The New Yorker represents a larger organisation that does its best to treat its tens of thousands of employees with dignity and respect.”
Mr. Moonves is married to Julie Chen, who has hosted several CBS shows. “I fully support my husband and stand behind him and his statement,” she said on Twitter.
Mr. Moonves is separately embroiled in a legal dispute with Shari Redstone, the head of National Amusements. Mr. Moonves and the CBS board have sued Ms. Redstone in an attempt to prevent the parent company from trying to merge the network with Viacom, which is also in the corporate family. The lawsuit will play out in court in October.
After the CBS board noted the timing of the New Yorker article relative to the legal dispute as part of its statement, Ms. Redstone denied that she had anything to do with Mr. Farrow’s work.
“The malicious insinuation that
Ms. Redstone is somehow behind the allegations of inappropriate personal behaviour by Mr. Moonves or today’s reports is false and self-serving,” a statement from her representative said. “Ms. Redstone hopes that the investigation of these allegations is thorough, open and transparent.”
CBS, for years the No. 1 broadcast network, has been one of the best-performing businesses in the media industry. Its success has largely been attributed to Mr. Moonves, who has been praised for his ability to select hit shows. He moves comfortably among Wall Street investors and Hollywood producers, speaking as easily about negotiating carriage fees as he does programming for prime-time audiences.