Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ CBS reached a $9.5 million confidential settlement last year with actress Eliza Dushku after on-set sexual comments from Michael Weatherly, star of the network’s show Bull, made her uncomfortable when she was beginning a run as a recurring character. CBS confirmed the settlement Thursday night. Dushku was written off the show after complaining about Weatherly’s comments on her appearance and jokes involving sex and rape made in front of cast and crew in
March 2017, according to The New York
Times, which first reported the settlement. “The allegations in Ms. Dushku’s claims are an example that, while we remain committed to a culture defined by a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace, our work is far from done,” the
CBS statement said. “The settlement of these claims reflects the projected amount that Ms. Dushku would have received for the balance of her contract as a series regular, and was determined in a mutually agreed upon mediation process at the time.” Weatherly, who appeared on the CBS series NCIS for 13 years before Bull began in 2016, said in an email to the Times that he had made jokes to Dushku during taping mocking lines in the script. “When Eliza told me that she wasn’t comfortable with my language and attempt at humor, I was mortified to have offended her and immediately apologized,” the email said. “After reflecting on this further, I better understand that what I said was both not funny and not appropriate and I am sorry and regret the pain this caused Eliza.” On Friday, CBS announced it is pledging $20 million in support of 18 organizations dedicated to eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace as the network tries to recover from a scandal that led to the ouster of its top executive, Les Moonves.
■ Spanish prosecutors have charged pop music star Shakira with tax evasion, alleging she failed to pay more than $16.3 million between 2012 and 2014. The Colombian singer denied the charges. The charges published Friday allege that Shakira listed the Bahamas as her official residence for tax purposes during those years but was in fact living in Spain with her partner, Spanish soccer player Gerard Pique. Tax rates are much lower in the Bahamas than in Spain. Shakira said in a statement Friday through her representatives that she was not a legal resident of Spain during the years in question and owed nothing to the Spanish tax authorities, who are using her “as a scapegoat” to frighten other taxpayers into coming clean.