Julie Chen is standing by her husband, CBS CEO Les Moonves, after an explosive report from the New Yorker implicated him in multiple sexual harassment allegations.
On Friday, the prominent Asian American television host of “The Talk” and “Big Brother” posted a statement on Twitter, calling her husband of 14 years a “kind, decent, and moral human being.”
Moonves, who began dating the TV star during his marriage to Nancy Wiesenfeld Moonves in the early 2000s, married Chen less than two weeks after his divorce was granted in December 2004.
According to the article by Ronan Farrow, six women have come forward to accuse Moonves of unwanted sexual advances in the workplace. The untoward incidents reportedly happened between the 1980s and the early 2000s.
The women further alleged that their careers were negatively affected when they rejected his touches or kisses.
Moonves has since denied the allegations via a statement released to the New Yorker. While he insisted that he did not misuse his position, he admitted that “there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances.”
“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 also did not apologize to the women he purportedly made uncomfortable, although he recognized his actions as “mistakes” which he regrets “immensely.”
“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.”
Featured Image via Instagram / juliechencbs
