CBS’s board of directors is reportedly set to discuss allegations of sexual misconduct against Chairman and CEO Leslie Moonves on Monday, separate reports said, with one publication reporting that the company is weighing whether Moonves should step aside pending a formal investigation.
Ahead of its quarterly earnings this week, the board is scheduled to meet via conference call this Monday and is expected to select a special committee to oversee the investigation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The publication added that several directors have mulled whether Moonves — one of the most powerful men in media — should leave his post.
It remains unclear whether the media company’s controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, will make an appearance at the regularly scheduled meeting, according to a separate report in Deadline, which first reported on the board’s plans to address the allegations. Moonves and Redstone have been waging a public and hostile war over CBS’s attempts to stem Redstone’s control over company.
News of the allegations first broke Friday, and included accounts of six women over multiple decades.The New Yorker report cited six women who said the longtime media executive harassed them between the ’80s and ’00s.
Moonves said in a statement to CBS, “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.”
