As we discussed earlier, Charlie Rose was outed as a sexual harasser/assailant by the Washington Post yesterday. WaPo reported that eight women claim that Rose harassed them, made them uncomfortable and/or groped them at various points in the past twenty years. Rose was immediately suspended by CBS and PBS. Rose was a long-time contributor to 60 Minutes, and he co-hosted CBS’s This Morning with Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King. This Morning has actually been doing well in the morning-show ratings wars for several years, based primarily on the chemistry between Rose, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell. I have to say, one of my first thoughts – upon reading the WaPo’s story – was “oh, Gayle King is going to be devastated.” Gayle and Charlie seemed to enjoy a substantive friendship and chemistry on and off-screen. Well, as it turns out, CBS isn’t shying away from reporting on a story that hits close to home, nor were they shy about giving Norah and Gayle the space to comment on the situation personally:
“This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand and more generally the safety of women. Let me be very clear. There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It is systematic and pervasive and I've been doing a lot of listening." — @NorahODonnell pic.twitter.com/9P69QN7spu
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) November 21, 2017
“I really am reeling. I got 1 hour & 42 minutes of sleep last night, both my son and my daughter called me. Oprah called me and said, are you okay? I am not okay. After reading that article in the Post, it was deeply disturbing, troubling and painful for me to read.” – @GayleKing pic.twitter.com/EQoEBHFkUr
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) November 21, 2017
I’ll give CBS credit for something: they already had two female co-hosts on the show, and those two capable women were able to take the lead and discuss this openly, which is exactly how it should be. One of the problems with so many of the sexual predators we’ve covered is that it often felt like, oh right, these men weren’t actually close to any women. They didn’t have any women in their lives who were their friends and respected colleagues. So is it better or worse for Charlie Rose that he had women in his life who loved him and respected him and worked with him every day, and now those are the same women who were completely blindsided by what happened?
(PS… Does anyone else wonder if there are more morning-show chips yet to fall? CoughcoughMattLauercough.)
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Gayle seemed truly shocked and horrified, Norah, I’m gonna say less so (she’s been in the business a long time and surely heard the rumors). How sad to find out someone you respected and cared about did such despicable things.
I feel for Gayle and Norah…they do seem to have great chemistry together, and I can only imagine how awful to wake up one day and realize one of your coworkers is part of this sludge.
That said, on an unrelated note, I never cared for Rose. On occasion I would watch the show, but I always saw Gayle and Norah (well, Norah to a lesser degree) as the ones truly invested in the stories. Rose always came off – IMO – as the old man who slides in a weird joke here and there, past his prime and not really looking to do any actual work. Aside from the part that we now have reports of his predatory behavior, I won’t miss him in the slightest.
I thought they did an excellent job on what is obviously a very difficult story for them. Gayle seemed particularly shaken.
And, yes, I’ve wondered about Matt Lauer even before the CR story broke.
I agree Gayle seemed very upset. And I applaud these two professional journalists for hanging tough in what has to be a difficult moment for them.
As for Lauer, my guess (and is just a guess) is that between Lauer and Fallon (wait for that bomb to drop), NBC is looking at the hit both of their iconic, trademark programs would endure. The Tonight Show has already become such a bad joke during the Lorne Michaels/Jimmy Fallon reign, outing Lauer’s sexcapades and forcing a revamping of Today would probably wipe out whatever remaining stature the NBC brand holds, save for the wonderful Lester Holt.
I adore Lester Holt. He seems to me to be one of the few people left who have integrity. If Lester Holt turns out to be a groper and a predator, I will jump out of my window, which is on the first floor.
I think Norah meant to say “systemic”
Gayle’s stock in my portfolio…went WAY UP! They and the network handled THIS situation very, VERY…well…
Yes, this is how a public person should behave if a friend and colleague is accused of something like this. There’s no blaming the women. There’s no saying “he’d never do this.” Just the shock, and I think we can all understand that.
Yes, I hope Lena Dunham was watching.
I think this and how Sarah Silverman approached the Louis C.K. thing on I Love You America really round out the discussion on these issues. Not all men who commit harassment or assault are all-round terrible, evil people with no redeeming qualities. They can be fabulous friends and colleagues so they aren’t easy to spot. It’s not like you always see them coming a mile away and their respectful relationships with other women often give them a credibility that they exploit.
And I think they all showed how to handle these kind of revelations about someone you trust. Focus your concern on the survivors and the systemic issues that allowed it to prevail but acknowledge your grief and your loss. As Sarah said – she loves Louis and he did bad things. Both things were true and now she has to figure out whether she can still love someone who did such bad things.
The destruction caused by the harassers’/assaulters’ conduct extends beyond the targets of their actions and while no one can suggest it is in any way equal or analogous, I think it helps to acknowledge both because it shows how you believe women and support them even when the person accused is someone you love or respect.
I just wanted to say that I agree with your comment so much. what Sarah Silverman said was very human, and I hope we don’t take the pitch forks to her.
Bravo! What guts to be actually honest on air. It’s so disheartening to see a trusted friend show his true colors. How many secret lives are there out there, abusing women?
I hope Lena Dunham was watching. This is how you do it.
I think CBS is the only one who reported that somebody was suspended or fired for sexual harassment. Other networks don’t say anything or do a quick blurb.
NPR has also owned up to the harassment in their ranks; they fired their news director over allegations of sexual harassment in the early days of this horror show, and they note it every single time they report on a new allegation or development.
I am so proud of Gayle, Nora and CBS for taking swift action!!! I love how the ladies at CBS addressed this head on and didn’t try to shrug it off. I used to watch CBS this morning, every morning, I refuse to watch the Today show as Matt Lauer makes my skin crawl. I stopped watching only because my daughter became old enough to have opinions and now my mornings are consumed by Sesame Street! I’m going to tune back into CBS to give those brave ladies my support.
Keep fighting! Keep sharing! Keep exposing these monsters!! Our time has come!!!!!! We can’t give up! Xoxo
What a load of BS. EVERYBODY knew about Rose.