Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another huge #metoo scandal in Hollywood, comes a whopper of a story. 

You may have never heard of Les Moonves, but he's the most powerful man in American television, the executive in charge of #1 network CBS, and the guy who helped develop such shows as The Big Bang Theory. But now he's accused of serious sexual misconduct over a period of several years. 

In a stunning New Yorker story by Ronan Farrow, the same journalist who outed movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, several women have come forward to accuse the executive of some pretty odious conduct - and that includes allegations that another CBS muckety-muck, Jeff Fager, the boss at 60 Minutes, also allowed such behaviour to take root at that venerable show. 

Moonves hasn't entirely admitted to anything, but has issued a statement saying that while he may have made some women "uncomfortable," he never crossed the line. But his alleged victims think it was more than just "uncomfortable." 

"Four described forcible touching or kissing during business meetings, in what they said appeared to be a practiced routine. Two told me that Moonves physically intimidated them or threatened to derail their careers. All said that he became cold or hostile after they rejected his advances, and that they believed their careers suffered as a result.

“What happened to me was a sexual assault, and then I was fired for not participating,” the actress and writer Illeana Douglas told me. All the women said they still feared that speaking out would lead to retaliation from Moonves, who is known in the industry for his ability to make or break careers.

“He has gotten away with it for decades,” the writer Janet Jones, who alleges that she had to shove Moonves off her after he forcibly kissed her at a work meeting, told me. “And it’s just not O.K.”

The story has already cost CBS in at least one way. Its stock fell more than 6% on Friday as a result of the allegations. So can the most powerful man in TV survive the scandal? That question may be better than any drama on his network.  

You can read the entire story here.

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Moonves statement:

"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. 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."

Last edited by RadioActive (July 27, 2018 7:19 pm)