Moonves exits CBS over new sex claims

Les Moonves, the chairman and CEO of US broadcaster CBS, has left the company following allegations of sexual misconduct from six more women.

Les Moonves

Claims against Moonves, who has resigned with immediate effect, first emerged in July, but an article in The New Yorker magazine detailing fresh allegations over the weekend has resulted in his exit.

While Moonves denies any wrongdoing, CBS confirmed his exit and said it would donate US$20m to a variety of organisations that support equality for women at work and the #MeToo movement.

The broadcaster said the donation has been deducted from severance benefits due to Moonves, whose position of chairman will remain vacant. Joseph Ianniello, CBS’s chief operating officer, will take on the exec’s remit as president and CEO until a permanent replacement is found.

Moonves said he was “deeply saddened to be leaving the company,” adding: “Untrue allegations from decades ago are now being made against me that are not consistent with who I am. The best part of this journey has been working alongside the dedicated and talented people in this company.”

In a statement to The New Yorker, he added: “I have never used my position to hinder the advancement or careers of women. In my 40 years of work, I have never before heard of such disturbing accusations. I can only surmise they are surfacing now for the first time, decades later, as part of a concerted effort by others to destroy my name, my reputation and my career. Anyone who knows me knows that the person described in this article is not me.”

The exec’s exit comes two months after CBS said it would hire an external lawyer to look into allegations of sexual misconduct against its now former president and CEO, but was planning no other immediate action.

A report in The New Yorker in July initially accused Moonves of harassing and hampering the careers of six women between 1985 and 2006, including actor Illeana Douglas. The latest article details allegations from a further half-a-dozen women.

Moonves joined CBS in 1995 and has been behind a string of hits, including The Big Bang Theory, CSI and Everybody Loves Raymond. In 2014 he signed a deal to remain with the network until 2019.

CBS presenter Charlie Rose was fired by the broadcaster last year after being accused of sexual harassment by a number of women.