New York, Jul 27 (EFE).- Six women – including an actress, an author and two producers – who had professional ties with CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, said that he subjected them to unwanted kissing and touching more than two decades ago.
The New Yorker magazine reported Friday that four of the women said that during working meetings Moonves gave them unwanted kisses and caresses in what appeared to be a regular behavior pattern.
The author of the piece, investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the sexual abuse allegedly committed by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein against dozens of women, including a number of well-known actresses.
Two of the women accusing Moonves, 68, who has been at the CBS helm since 2006, say that – in connection with his alleged abuse – he also intimidated them physically or threatened to destroy their careers when they rejected his advances.
Actress and writer Illeana Douglas, for instance, said that in 1996 Moonves – at the time the president of CBS Entertainment – asked if she was single in a private business meeting to discuss a script. She said that he grabbed her and kissed her violently, then demanded that she keep quiet about the incident, claiming that thereafter she was fired for no apparent reason.
In a statement, Moonves said: “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.”
On Friday, the CBS board of directors said that it would take “seriously” and investigate any allegations of misconduct against Moonves.