Les Moonves accused of sexual misconduct by six women
CBS chief Les Moonves has been accused of sexual misconduct by six women — including actress Illeana Douglas — in a new bombshell report that claims the toxic culture is widespread through the network.
The “Six Feet Under” star tells the New Yorker she was called into a meeting with the TV titan while working on a pilot in 1997, where he pinned her down on the couch, kissed her “violently,” then pulled up her skirt while thrusting his aroused groin into her.
“It’ll just be between you and me. Come on, you’re not some nubile virgin,” the married 68-year-old allegedly told Douglas.
When she tried to escape, she says, he blocked her path and said menacingly: “We’re going to keep this between you and me, right?”
The following week, she says, she was fired, with Moonves telling her she wouldn’t “get a f–king dime” and would “never work at this network again.”
“What happened to me was a sexual assault, and then I was fired for not participating,” Douglas told writer Ronan Farrow.
When she told then-boyfriend Martin Scorsese, the famed filmmaker, and threatened to sue, she was offered a role in a miniseries.
In a statement, Moonves acknowledged trying to kiss Douglas, but denied “any characterization of ‘sexual assault,’ intimidation, or retaliatory action.”
“I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances,” said Moonves, who was married to Nancy Wiesenfeld from 1978 through 2003 and then wed network presenter Julie Chen in 2004.
“Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected — and abided by the principle — that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career.”
But four other women claim they were also forcibly kissed or touched by the longtime CBS honcho in business meetings from the 1980s through the late 2000s — and all said their careers suffered after rejecting him.
“He has gotten away with it for decades,” said writer Janet Jones, who claims Moonves forced his lips on her during a 1985 pitch meeting.
Jones says that when she tried to get away, she found his office door was locked — and when she told him he had to open it or she’d scream, he had to walk over to his desk to unlock it.
The set-up is reminiscent of ousted NBC creep Matt Lauer, who allegedly used a button under his desk to lock women in his office.
Other Moonves accusers in the story include “How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days” producer Christine Peters, who claims Moonves stuck his hand up her skirt, and “a prominent actress who played a police officer on a long-running CBS program” who says he shoved his tongue down her throat.
Dozens of other current and former employees claim that sexual misconduct was permitted at the network — with many accusing former chairman and current “60 Minutes” executive producer Jeff Fager of touching employees in a weird way while drunk at work functions and generally allowing harassment in the news division.
“It’s top down, this culture of older men who have all this power and you are nothing,” one veteran producer told the mag.
“The company is shielding lots of bad behavior.”
Fager denies any wrongdoing, blaming “a few people with an axe to grind who are using an important movement as a weapon to get even.”
Both “60 Minutes” star Lesley Stahl and correspondent Anderson Cooper offered statements in support of Fager.
But the company has paid out at least three six-figure settlements to “60 Minutes” employees who have filed sexual harassment or discrimination complaints, according to the New Yorker.
And recent lawsuits include a woman who accused an executive director of “CBS Evening News” of urging her to have sex with a difficult co-worker, and a man who says a CBS News senior producer groped his crotch.
Workers say the culture was so permissive that bosses would make their young assistants complete the company’s sexual-harassment training program for them.
“We’d book their travel, do their expenses, and then do their sexual-harassment training.” Sophie Gayter, a “60 Minutes” staffer, told the New Yorker.
Some indiscretions at CBS are no secret, of course.
The network fired veteran TV host Charlie Rose last year after eight women, including Gayter, accused him of sexual harassment.
And “NCIS: New Orleans” showrunner Brad Kern stepped down over sexual harassment allegations in May — a year after the company found out about them.
CBS’ board put out a statement ahead of the New Yorker report’s publication, saying it will investigate the allegations.
“All allegations of personal misconduct are to be taken seriously,” the company stated.
“The Independent Directors of CBS have committed to investigating claims that violate the Company’s clear policies in that regard. Upon the conclusion of that investigation, which involves recently reported allegations that go back several decades, the Board will promptly review the findings and take appropriate action.”
The report comes amid a legal battle between the board and Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder in both CBS and Viacom who wants to merge the two companies.
And the board’s statement suggested it might not be a coincidence.
“The timing of this report comes in the midst of the Company’s very public legal dispute. While that litigation process continues, the CBS management team has the full support of the independent board members,” the statement continues.
Redstone strongly denied any involvement Friday.
“The malicious insinuation that Ms. Redstone is somehow behind the allegations of inappropriate personal behavior by Mr. Moonves or today’s reports is false and self-serving,” a rep said in a statement to the Reporter.
The New Yorker notes that the women who made accusations against Moonves in the article say they have no interest in the company’s battle with Redstone.