CBS News fires TV host over sexual harassment allegations

November 21, 2017 11:07 PM

The channel, where Rose had co-hosted “CBS This Morning” and was a contributing correspondent for “60 Minutes,” had already suspended Rose on Monday.

CBS News said Rose’s employment had been “terminated” with immediate effect after what it called “extremely disturbing and intolerable behavior” revealed by eight women in the Washington Post newspaper on Monday.

“A short time ago we terminated Charlie Rose’s employment with CBS News, effective immediately,” the network said in a statement.

“CBS News has reported on extraordinary revelations at other media companies this year and last. Our credibility in that reporting requires credibility managing basic standards of behavior. That is why we have taken these actions,” it added.

The bombshell Post report said the eight women were employees or aspired to work on the broadcaster’s eponymous “Charlie Rose,” which aired on public broadcaster PBS.

They complained that the unwanted advances included lewd phone calls, groping and walking naked in front of them. All were in their 20s and 30s when the alleged harassment took place from the 1990s to as recently as 2011.

Rose, now 75, is the latest in a series of powerful men accused of misconduct in the wake of the downfall of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, which opened the floodgates of sexual assault and harassment accusations in many industries.

Rose on Monday issued a public statement apologizing for what he called “inappropriate behavior” and said he was “greatly embarrassed,” but that he did “not believe that all of these allegations are accurate.”

PBS has already suspended distribution of his “Charlie Rose” interview show.