Charlie Rose Facing Sexual Harassment Lawsuit From Multiple CBS Staffers
Charlie Rose used to be an award-winning journalist for CBS back when it was known as the “Tiffany network.” Now, however, he’s another disgraced journalist who, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, is facing a sexual harassment lawsuit from three of his former staff members.
According to TMZ, Charlie Rose is being sued by Yuqing “Chelsea” Wei, Katherine Brooks Harris, and Sydney McNeal, all of whom held various positions at CBS under Rose.
The three women are suing for an undisclosed sum, and are alleging discrimination, retaliation, and sexual harassment.
First, they claimed that Rose only hired them because “he likes tall women.” Once they were hired, the women alleged that Rose behaved extremely inappropriately, where he bragged about his sexual conquests and urged the women to share stories about theirs. At one point, Rose said that Harris and McNeal should become lovers.
Harris also claimed that, at one point, she wore a mini-skirt with roses on it, which merited a ribald comment from Charlie Rose (who claimed that they were “his roses”). All three women claimed that Rose would “repeatedly caress and touch their bodies, including their arms, shoulders, waists and backs,” and would even pull them in for kisses.
When they would fight back, the women allege that Rose would “berate and intimidate” them.
For her part, Wei — who was a news associate at CBS — claimed that Rose alternately called her a “f–king idiot” and a “China Doll.”
Finally, Harris and McNeal claim that Charlie Rose fired them in retaliation for the November 2017 article in the Washington Post, where eight women came forward and accused him of “exposing himself” to them.
My conversation with the Emir of Qatar tonight on @60Minutes 7pm ET pic.twitter.com/hWyWcTaZcN
— Charlie Rose (@charlierose) October 29, 2017
Shortly after the Washington Post story was published, however, Rose himself was suspended — and subsequently fired — by CBS. Rose’s show on PBS — The Charlie Rose Show — has also been indefinitely suspended in the wake of the allegations, though Rose claims that he’s been unfairly targeted by the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements.
The Emir of Qatar talks about military cooperation with the U.S. & his handling of the blockade against his country Sunday on @60Minutes pic.twitter.com/sG9fusEb86
— Charlie Rose (@charlierose) October 27, 2017
In a statement, Charlie Rose said that he was “sorry” that the women felt “victimized,” but claimed that the interactions with the women were consensual and that his inappropriate overtures involved “shared feelings.”
