Update 7:31 p.m. EDT Sept. 9: Moonves has stepped down from his role at CBS, ending his 20 years with the network, CNN reported.
As part of the deal, Moonves will donate $20 million to organizations helping women’s equality.
JUST IN: CBS and Moonves will donate $20 million to one or more organizations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace. The donation will be made immediately, and it will be deducted from any severance he ultimately receives https://t.co/NOtf0ud6V1 pic.twitter.com/CkI9zMS0xM
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 10, 2018
Original story: The CBS board of directors is likely to announce the deal and Moonves may step down by Monday morning, several media outlets reported. CNN cited two executives with direct knowledge of the matter.
BREAKING: It's a done deal. Les Moonves is stepping down from CBS as part of a wide-ranging corporate settlement. The deal is expected to be announced by Monday morning. https://t.co/nV57srRMjq
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 9, 2018
The new allegations include claims that Moonves forced the women to perform oral sex on him, that he exposed himself to the women without their consent and that he used intimidation and physical violence against them, The New Yorker reported.
6 women raise new, more serious claims of sexual assault or harassment against Les Moonves and say the CBS board failed to hold him to account. Some board members were aware of an LAPD investigation into one claim of violent, forced oral sex since January: https://t.co/4JgM7OV6cw
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) September 9, 2018
In a statement to the magazine, Moonves responded to the new allegations, saying that three of the new accusers were participating in consensual sexual actions, The Hollywood Reporter said.
“The appalling accusations in this article are untrue," Moonves said in his statement. "What is true is that I had consensual relations with three of the women some 25 years ago before I came to CBS. And I have never used my position to hinder the advancement or careers of women."
One of the new accusers, television executive Phyllis Golden-Gottlieb, told The New Yorker that she filed a criminal complaint last year with Los Angeles police. However, police said that even though her accusations were credible, the alleged incidents occurred during the 1980s so the statute of limitations had run out.
The new accusations come six weeks after The New Yorker’s original article about accusations against Moonves, which was published on July 27.
come about six weeks after Farrow published his first New Yorker expose on Moonves on July 27.
About the Author