Gayle King cautioned against blanket firings for men accused of #MeToo allegations during an interview published Tuesday by the New York Times.
The “CBS This Morning” co-host worked alongside Charlie Rose, who was fired in the wake of multiple sexual harassment allegations, for years. She noted that “when a woman makes an accusation, the man instantly gets the death penalty.”
“There has to be some sort of due process here,” she continued. “All of these inappropriate behaviors are not all the same.”
She added that “in some cases,” firing these men is a “particularly harsh punishment.”
King explained that it shouldn’t be difficult to decide what is and isn’t appropriate for the workplace.
“If it’s not something you would say or do in front of your wife or your mother or your sister, that’s a really good guideline.”
She made it clear that her comments are not discounting any of the #MeToo accusers, but notes that “there are a lot of men in the world.”
King also left the door open to some men who have been fired over #MeToo accusations finding new work in the industry, if they demonstrate proper remorse and that they have learned from their mistakes.
“It depends on who you’re talking about,” she stated. “We’re talking in generalities here, because many of the cases are different, but what I do know is you can’t come back if you don’t get the lesson and you haven’t acknowledged that you behaved badly.”
