Two weeks after being tapped for an expanded role in the new WarnerMedia corporate structure, and amid claims he had conducted a sexual relationship with an actress who wanted roles in studio movies and TV shows, Warner Bros. Entertainment said its chairman and chief executive Kevin Tsujihara will step down.
WarnerMedia announced a sweeping new structure on March 4, naming former NBC Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct to Consumer. As part of that new structure, Tsujihara was to receive the added responsibility of a new global kids and young adults business.
But the added role came just as a story broke in The Hollywood Reporter that claimed Tsujihara conducted a three-year relationship with an actress that had wanted roles in the company’s movies and TV shows. WarnerMedia, which had earlier investigated similar claims and found no impropriety, immediately began an investigation into the new allegations.
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“It is in the best interest of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros., our employees and our partners for Kevin to step down as chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.,” said WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey in a press release. “Kevin has contributed greatly to the studio’s success over the past 25 years and for that we thank him. Kevin acknowledges that his mistakes are inconsistent with the company’s leadership expectations and could impact the company’s ability to execute going forward.”
WarnerMedia said it continues to work with a third-party law firm to complete its investigation with Tsujihara’s cooperation.
WarnerMedia has yet to name a successor for Tsujihara.
