- CBS News and PBS News fired the prominent journalist and TV host Charlie Rose a day after several women accused Rose of making unwanted sexual advances.
- CBS called the behavior described in the allegations against Rose "extremely disturbing and intolerable" and said "there is absolutely nothing more important ... than ensuring a safe, professional workplace."
- PBS said it had terminated its relationship with Rose and would cancel distribution of his programs.
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Charlie Rose fired from CBS and PBS following sexual-misconduct allegations
CBS and PBS News fired the prominent journalist and TV host Charlie Rose, a day after several women accused Rose of unwanted sexual advances.
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CBS News and PBS on Tuesday severed ties with the prominent journalist and TV host Charlie Rose, a day after several women accused Rose of making unwanted sexual advances, including groping, explicit phone calls, and displays of nudity.
Eight women who either worked for Rose or interviewed for positions at the "Charlie Rose" show between the late 1990s and 2011 described to The Washington Post instances of Rose engaging in lewd and inappropriate behavior toward them.
CBS, PBS, and Bloomberg all suspended Rose after the publication of The Post's report.
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On Tuesday afternoon, CBS announced it had fired Rose, who had been a cohost of the network's morning show, "CBS This Morning," for five years and was a contributing correspondent for "60 Minutes."
In an internal memo sent to staffers, CBS News President David Rhodes called the behavior described in allegations against Rose "extremely disturbing and intolerable."
"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," Rhodes said. "We need to be such a place."
Later Tuesday, PBS said it would terminate its relationship with Rose and cancel distribution of his programs.
"PBS expects all the producers we work with to provide a workplace where people feel safe and are treated with dignity and respect," the network said in a statement.
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Three other women also told Business Insider of their experiences while interning for Rose, or seeking to work for him, in 2005, 2008, and 2010. One said Rose touched her legs inappropriately as he was dropping her off at a dormitory in New York City and then on a separate occasion when she sought career advice invited her to his hotel room late in the evening.
Another says he invited her to dinner to discuss career opportunities, had her meet him at his townhouse, and greeted her at the door in a bathrobe and invited her into his home.
A third woman also says Rose greeted her at the door in a bathrobe and invited her in while she was delivering research to his apartment as an intern. She said she declined.
Rose's "CBS This Morning" cohosts expressed shock and dismay at the allegations during Tuesday's show.
"There is no excuse for this alleged behavior," Norah O'Donnell said. "It is systematic and pervasive, and I've been doing a lot of listening, and I'm going to continue to do that. This I know is true: Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility."
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Gayle King said she had gotten less than two hours of sleep the night before.
"We are all rocked by this," King said. "I want to echo what Norah said: I really applaud the women that speak up despite the friendship. He doesn't get a pass, because I can't stop thinking about the anguish of these women, what happened to their dignity, what happened to their bodies, what happened maybe to even their careers."
In a statement on Monday, Rose apologized for what he called "inappropriate behavior" and said he had believed all his sexual encounters were consensual.
"I am greatly embarrassed," Rose said. "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."
Rachael Levy contributed to this report.
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