This piece was updated with additional information after publication.
CBS has fired Charlie Rose, according to a memo circulated to CBS News staffers on Tuesday after a Monday Washington Post report detailed accusations of sexual harassment against him. “Despite Charlie’s important journalistic contribution to our news division, there is absolutely nothing more important, in this or any organization, than ensuring a safe, professional workplace — a supportive environment where people feel they can do their best work,” the statement reads.
The statement goes on to say that CBS is organizing human resources support and “more personal and direct training” for staffers.
On Tuesday, PBS announced that it is ending its relationship with Rose. “In light of yesterday’s revelations, PBS has terminated its relationship with Charlie Rose and cancelled distribution of his programs,” the network said in a statement. “PBS expects all the producers we work with to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect.”
CBS This Morning hosts Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell addressed the allegations Tuesday, offering a “frank and honest assessment” of the situation.
“Let me be very clear, there is no excuse for this alleged behavior,” O’Donnell said. “It is systematic and pervasive and I’ve been doing a lot of listening. … Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility. … This will be investigated, this has to end, this behavior is wrong.”
King said that she was “still reeling” from the news and that Rose “does not get a pass here.”
Eight women accused the journalist and talk-show host of unwanted sexual advances, according to the Post report.
The women, who were all employees or job candidates at the Charlie Rose show on PBS and Bloomberg TV, told the Post that Rose committed various forms of sexual misconduct during a period ranging from the late 1990s to 2011. They described Rose groping their breasts and genital areas, making lewd phone calls, or walking around naked in their presence. Three of the eight women—Reah Bravo, Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, and Megan Creydt—spoke on the record with the Post, while five spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Post also spoke to a number of Rose’s former employees, six of which said that they saw what they considered to be harassment. Eight said that they were uncomfortable with Rose’s treatment of female employees.
Rose, who also cohosts CBS This Morning and contributes to 60 Minutes, provided a statement to the Post that read in part, “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. Nevertheless, in the past few days, claims have been made about my behavior toward some former female colleagues.”
The statement continues, “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.”
PBS and Bloomberg LP, which air the Charlie Rose show, suspended distribution of the show on Monday. In a statement, CBS announced Rose’s suspension from CBS This Morning: “Charlie Rose is suspended immediately while we look into this matter. These allegations are extremely disturbing and we take them very seriously.”
