Television host Julie Chen is coming to the defense of her husband, CBS CEO Les Moonves, amidst sexual harassment allegations against him.
After the bombshell revelations from a new New Yorker report written by Ronan Farrow, Chen released a statement Friday defending Moonves, her husband of 14 years.
— Julie Chen (@JulieChen) July 27, 2018
In the New Yorker article, Moonves, CBS’ head honcho, was accused by six women who said he forcibly touched or kissed them in the workplace and when they rejected him, their careers were negatively affected.
“Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our company,” Moonves told the New Yorker in a statement.
“I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. 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. This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution.”
Chen, as host for The Talk and Big Brother, is one of the most prominent Asian American TV personalities. No doubt the situation will get awkward at work. The Monday (July 30) episode of The Talk will likely be one of the most watched shows in the program’s history if she shows up as co-host.
The sexual harassment allegations against Moonves, span from the 1980s into the early 2000s. Moonves issued a statement denying their claims that he had “misused” his “position,” while admitting that “there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances.” Said Moonves, “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.”
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