Eight women told The Washington Post that the 75-year-old TV anchor made unwanted sexual advances, lewd phone calls, walked around naked around them and groped them. The women worked for his show, or wanted to work for his show, from the late 1990s through 2011.
In addition to Charlie Rose, which airs on PBS, Rose is anchor of CBS This Morning and a correspondent for 60 Minutes on CBS.
“Charlie Rose is suspended immediately while we look into this matter. These allegations are extremely disturbing and we take them very seriously,” CBS News said in a statement.
PBS suspended the distribution of the Charlie Rose show, and Bloomberg won't air it either.
The allegations against Rose come amid a wave of sexual harassment charges against powerful men in the entertainment business and politics.
In the past few weeks, producer Harvey Weinstein, Amazon Studios chief Roy Price, actors Kevin Spacey and Jeffrey Tambor are among those who have lost their positions and parts. In politics, Senator Al Franken, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, is facing charges he behaved inappropriately with women.
Rose released the following statment to The Washington Post: “In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked. Nevertheless, in the past few days, claims have been made about my behavior toward some former female colleagues.
“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. 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.
“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives."
But the story details how Rose alternated between fury and flattery in his interaction with women. The women he surrounded himself with were referred to as “Charlie’s Angels” and his show’s producer told one woman who complained that Charlie was just being Charlie. The producer told The Post she regrets not doing more to help the women who complained about Rose.
