CBS News fires Charlie Rose following sex allegations
Network president says action taken to maintain credibility.
the past two years. “Our credibility in that reporting requires credibility managing basic stan- NEW YORK — CBS News fired dards of morning show host Charlie behavior,” he wrote. “That Rose on Tuesday, less than is why we have taken these 24 hours after several women actions.” who worked with him on his There’s been a flood of PBS interview show alleged a misconduct stories involving pattern of sexual misconduct, prominent men since The New including groping and walk- York Times reported on Holing naked in front of them. lywood mogul Harvey Wein-
The network’s news presistein this fall. dent, David Rhodes, said there Several women have is nothing more important accused Rose of touching them than assuring a safe, profes- on the breasts, buttocks or sional workplace. thigh, emerging naked from a
To date, there have been shower when they were work- no accusations of bad behaving at his residence and, in ior by Rose from people who one case, calling a 21-year-old work at CBS News. He’s been staffer to tell his fantasies of a co-host of “CBS This Morn- seeing her swim in the nude. ing” since 2012 and a contribA former associate producer utor to “60 Minutes.” The alle- for Rose’s PBS show, Reah gations, first outlined in The Bravo, told the Washington Washington Post, are from Post: “He was a sexual predpeople who worked with him ator, and I was his victim.” or prospective employees at Rose had no immediate his nightly PBS show, which reaction to his firing. In a has been suspended by that statement late Monday, he network. apologized for his actions
Rhodes noted that CBS and said he was “deeply News has reported on sexembarrassed.” ual misconduct revelations Rose’s two co-hosts on at other media companies for “CBS This Morning,” Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, were sharply critical of their colleague on the air Tuesday. The story of Rose’s behavior led his former broadcast.
“This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand and more generally the safety of women,” O’Donnell said. “Let me be very clear. There is no excuse for this alleged behavior.”
King said she considered Rose a friend and held him in high regard, but was struggling because “what do you say when someone that you deeply care about has done something so horrible?
“How do you wrap your brain around that?” she said. “I’m really grappling with that. That said, Charlie does not get a pass here.”
She said that while the story described a Rose she did not know, “I’m also clearly on the side of the women who have been very hurt and damaged by this.”
T he “CBS This Morning” eye-opener segment, a 90-second collection of film clips about the day, also led with the Rose story and quoted two pundits speculating the charges may end his career. “He’s toast,” said one off-screen voice.