CBS reaches settlement with three Charlie Rose sexual harassment accusers

CBS News on Wednesday announced that it has reached a settlement with three women who accused former “CBS This Morning” anchor and “60 Minutes” correspondent Charlie Rose of sexually harassing them while they worked at the network.

The settlement comes 13 months after Rose was fired from CBS and PBS, where he also hosted a program, after a November 2017 Washington Post report included eight women accusing Rose of sexual harassment and misconduct throughout several decades of working at the network.

{mosads}The allegations included lewd comments during phone calls to walking naked in front of female employees to groping their breasts or genital areas, according to the report.

The three employees involved in the settlement announced Thursday — Katherine Harris, Sydney McNeal and Yuqing Wei — sued CBS and Rose in May after another story in The Washington Post said the network looked the other way following complaints against Rose. 

Rose said upon his ouster in last year that he had “behaved insensitively” at times, but said that some of the allegations were not accurate.

“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed,” Rose said in a statement to the Post at the time. “I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”

The 76-year-old has yet to be hired by any other major outlet.

The news follows accusation leveled against former CBS Chairman Les Moonves of sexually harassing several women at the network.

Moonves was fired from the network in September and may be denied a $120 million severance package after a Dec. 4 New York Times report that investigators alleged he destroyed evidence and lied to them.