REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Eight women told The Washington Post that longtime TV host Charlie Rose sexually harassed them. Those women, who ranged in age from 21 to 37 at the time of the alleged incidents, describe Rose groping them, walking naked in front of them, attempting to stick his hands down their pants, or making explicit phone calls to them. The women, all of whom worked for Rose or were trying to secure a job with him, said they had not previously come forward out of fear of being shut out of media jobs. One accuser noted that she was fired after telling a colleague about an unpleasant experience with Rose. In a statement to the Post, Rose appeared to deny some of the allegations against him. “I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate,” Rose wrote. “I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”
PBS, which distributes Rose’s show announced it would be suspending the program pending an investigation. “PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations. We are immediately suspending distribution of ‘Charlie Rose,’” the network said in a statement.