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Charlie Rose accused by 27 women of sexual harassment

CBS News has denied any knowledge of Rose's actions.
Image: Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose attends New York Magazine's 50th anniversary celebration at Katz's Delicatessen in New York on Oct. 24.Andy Kropa / Invision/AP file

Former talk show host and anchor Charlie Rose has been accused of sexual harassment by 27 women who worked with him over three decades, according to The Washington Post.

The Post interviewed 14 employees at CBS News, where he worked on "CBS This Morning" and "60 Minutes," and 13 other women who worked with Rose at “60 Minutes” and at PBS, where he hosted a talk show named after him, all of whom said that they were subjected to sexual misconduct by Rose.

CBS News management told the newspaper on Thursday that they were not aware of Rose’s actions.

The new accusations follow a report by the Post in November that said eight women had accused Rose of sexual harassment and misconduct. The Post stated the 27 accusers are all in addition to the initial eight.

Rose has denied the allegations.

The veteran anchor was fired from CBS and PBS in November after the Post report came out. According to the newspaper, CBS was alerted to the behavior three times between 1986 and as recently as April 2017.

One news clerk, Annmarie Parr, 22, told the paper that Rose had asked her: “Do you like sex? Do you enjoy it? How often do you like to have sex?”

Sophie Gayter, 27, who worked at “60 Minutes,” told the Post, “I had been there long enough to know that it was just the way things went.”

She said that Rose groped her buttocks as they walked down a hallway.

“People said what they wanted to you, people did what they wanted to you,” Gayter told the paper.

A representative for CBS News passed along an official statement stating that it is working on changing how it handles complaints.

“Since we terminated Charlie Rose, we’ve worked to strengthen existing systems to ensure a safe environment where everyone can do their best work," the company said in the statement. "Some of the actions we have taken have been reported publicly, some have not. We offer employees discretion and fairness, and we take swift action when we learn of unacceptable behavior."

"That said, we cannot corroborate or confirm many of the situations described." the statement added.

We continue to look for ways to improve our workplace, and this period of reflection and action has been important to all of us. We are not done with this process.”

A lawyer representing Rose declined to comment.

CBS News addressed the Post story on Thursday morning.

Two of Rose’s former bosses have said they did not know about his behavior.

“I was never informed that Charlie behaved badly with women,” former CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager said in a statement to the Post. "I hired him because he was one of the best interviewers in the country. Period. If I knew there was this darker side, he never would have been hired.”

In a statement in March, CBS News President David Rhodes also said he did not have knowledge of Rose’s actions.

"I was not aware of harassment by Charlie Rose at CBS,” he said.

Rhodes followed up on Thursday with an internal memo sent to CBS News staff detailing that the company continues to investigate.

"In light of today’s article, I’d like to share that we have continued to investigate a number of issues consistent with our long-standing policies," Rhodes wrote in the memo. "As needed our company has supported this effort with the independent advice of one of the nation’s pre-eminent employment lawyers from Proskauer [Rose], which has a highly regarded practice in these matters."

Chris Licht, the executive producer of “CBS This Morning,” who is now the executive producer of the “Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” confirmed in the article that a woman had complained about being kissed by Rose but had asked him not to share it with human resources. Licht had no further comment.

Charlie Rose responded to the Post with a single sentence: “Your story is unfair and inaccurate.”