Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Charlie Rose faces sexual misconduct allegations
NEW YORK — Charlie Rose is the latest public figure to be felled by sexual misconduct allegations, with PBS halting distribution of his interview show and CBS News suspending him Monday following a Washington Post report with the accusations of eight women.
The women, who all worked for Rose or tried to work for him at the “Charlie Rose” show from the late 1990s to as recently as 2011, accused the veteran newsman of groping them, walking naked in front of them and telling one that he dreamed about her swimming nude.
Rose, 75, told the Post that he was “greatly embarrassed” and apologized for his behavior.
“PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations,” the pub- lic broadcasting service said in a statement. “We are immediately suspending distribution of ‘Charlie Rose.’ ”
Three women went on the record in the Post’s story.
One is Reah Bravo, a former associate producer for Rose’s PBS show who began working for him in 2007 and told the newspaper: “He was a sexual predator, and I was his victim.”
Bravo said Rose groped her on multiple occasions and once, during a business trip to Indiana, called her to his hotel room where he emerged from a shower naked
Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, one of Rose’s former assistants, was 21 when she said Rose repeatedly called her to describe his fantasies of her swimming naked at the pool at his Long Island home while he watched from his bedroom.
Godfrey-Ryan said that when Rose learned she had confided to a mutual friend about his conduct, he fired her.
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.
There are striking commonalities in the accounts of the women, each of whom described their interactions with Rose in multiple interviews with The Post.
For all of the women, reporters interviewed friends, colleagues or family members who said the women had confided in them about aspects of the incidents.
“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 behavior toward some former female colleagues.
“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. 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.
“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.”
In addition to the eight women who say they were harassed, The Post spoke to about two dozen former employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Six said they saw what they considered to be harassment, eight said they were uncomfortable with Rose’s treatment of female employees, and 10 said they did not see or hear anything concerning.
Rose’s eponymous show has been in production since 1991. What it lacks in mass viewership, the “Charlie Rose” show makes up for in prestige and high-profile bookings of the likes of former President Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffett. He also hosts “CBS This Morning.”
Representatives from PBS and CBS said they have no records of sexual harassment complaints about Rose.