Eight women are accusing television host Charlie Rose of sexual misconduct, including vulgar phone calls, walking naked in front of them, and groping them, according to a new report.
The women were employed by Rose or trying to work for him at the “Charlie Rose” show from the late 1990s up until 2011, the Washington Post reported Monday. The women were ages 21 to 37 when the alleged incidents of sexual misconduct occurred. The newspaper conducted interviews with friends, colleagues, or family members to corroborate the women’s stories.
“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,” Rose said in a statement to the paper. “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,” he added. “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.”
Charlie Rose’s show airs on PBS. He also is a contributing correspondent for CBS’s “60 Minutes” and co-hosts “CBS This Morning.”
CBS suspended Rose in the wake of the report.
A series of sexual assault and harassment allegations have emerged over the last month against leading Hollywood entertainment figures and others, starting with movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein allegedly sexually abused women over the course of 40 years. Just last week, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., was accused last week of groping and forcefully kissing a radio host without her consent.
