Katie Couric is one of several women who have spoken out about the toxic work environment at CBS amid allegations that the corporation’s CEO Les Moonves not only fostered such behavior, but engaged in inappropriate behavior.
Couric told the New Yorker, which wrote a bombshell story accusing Moonves and other top executives of sexual harassment, that CBS ‘felt like a boys’ club, where a number of talented women seemed to be marginalized and undervalued’.
Couric worked as an anchor at the network and a contributing correspondent for 60 Minutes from 2006 to 2011.
Katie Couric, a former contributing corespondent for 60 Minutes, said CBS is like a ‘boys’ club’
Couric wasn’t the only former female employee who criticized the network’s office environment and their treatment by top executives. One former associate producer told the New Yorker that CBS: ‘is an old network. Everything in there feels old; the people, the furniture, the culture, the mores’.
Many of them described the atmosphere as a ‘frat house’. ‘
‘I had several producers and editors over the age of sixty who would greet me by kissing me on the mouth,’ a former employee said. ‘I had people touch my butt a couple times. (60 Minutes producer Jeff) Fager seemed to encourage that climate. It wasn’t even that he turned a blind eye toward it.’
Several other women accused Fager of getting ‘handsy’ after having drinks at company parties. They alleged that Fager was would touch them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable.
‘It was always “Let’s go say hello to Jeff, ’cause you have to pay homage to him, but let’s do it early in the evening, before he starts getting really handsy”,’ a former 60 Minutes producer said.
Fager denied the allegations, telling the New Yorker: ‘It is wrong that our culture can be falsely defined by a few people with an axe to grind who are using an important movement as a weapon to get even, and not by the hundreds of women and men that have thrived, both personally and professionally, at ’60 Minutes.’
Couric made the claims as CBS Corporation CEO Les Moonves (pictured above with his wife Julie Chen) is accused of sexual harassment
Six Feet Under actress Illeana Douglas said during a 1997 meeting with Moonves he allegedly kissed her ‘violently’ and then pulled up her skirt while thrusting his aroused groin into her
He added, ‘A majority of our senior staff are women. All of them worked their way up the ranks and are now managers of our broadcast. Half of our producers and a majority of our associate producers are women. It is a challenging place to do well and promotions are earned on merit and are not based on gender.’
The New Yorker also reported that several women have accused Moonves of sexual misconduct. Six Feet Under actress Illeana Douglas said that during a 1997 meeting with Moonves, who was married to Nancy Wiesenfel at the time, he allegedly pinned her down on the couch, kissed her ‘violently’ and then pulled up her skirt while thrusting his aroused groin into her.
She said that Moonves wanted her to keep what happened between them. Douglas said a week later she was fired and Moonves told her she wouldn’t ‘get a f–king dime’ and would ‘never work at this network again.’
‘What happened to me was a sexual assault, and then I was fired for not participating,’ Douglas told writer Ronan Farrow.
Moonves, who is now married to the Talk co-host Julie Chen, issued an apology saying: ‘Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our Company.’
He added: ‘I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected – and abided by the principle – that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career. This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution.’