Charlie Rose Accused Of Sexual Harassment
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NEW YORK (CBSMiami) – The latest public figure accused of sexual misconduct is Charlie Rose.
CBS News has suspended him after a Washington Post article revealed eight women connected with the "Charlie Rose" show are accusing him of sexual harassment.
The eight women, according to the Washington Post, were either employees of the "Charlie Rose" show from the late 1990s to 2011 or aspired to work for him there.
The Washington Post is reporting that eight women have come forward claiming Rose made unwanted sexual advances toward them, including lewd phone calls and walking around naked.
Rose, 75, co-hosts "CBS This Morning" and has been a contributing correspondent for "60 Minutes" for nearly a decade.
The women who spoke to the Post worked for his production company, Charlie Rose Inc., not CBS or PBS, where his interview show airs, or Bloomberg, where it's taped and rebroadcast.
The allegations in the Washington Post article include Rose making unwanted sexual advances in the form of lewd phone calls, groping and walking around naked in front of the women.
Five described Rose, who "Time Magazine" named him one of their 100 Most Influential People in 2014, putting his hand on their legs to test their reaction.
Two said while working for him on his home or while traveling on business with him, he came out of the shower walking naked in front of them.
Rose posted a statement on Twitter, saying:
"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 take 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."
CBS News said in a statement, "Charlie Rose is suspended immediately while we look into this matter. These allegations are extremely disturbing and we take them very seriously."
Monday evening, PBS and Bloomberg suspended distribution of his program.
"PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations. We are immediately suspending distribution of 'Charlie Rose,'" a PBS spokesperson told CBS News. "'Charlie Rose' is produced by Charlie Rose, Inc., an independent television production company. PBS does not fund this nightly program or supervise its production, but we expect our producers to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect."
In a statement, Bloomberg said, "We are deeply disturbed to learn of these allegations and are immediately suspending the show from airing on Bloomberg TV and radio."
