Charlie Rose fired by CBS following allegations of serial sexual harassment

Charlie Rose was fired by CBS News on Tuesday, as his colleagues reacted with shock and horror to allegations of serial sexual harassment made against the veteran TV news show anchor – and made it clear they believe the women.

In a statement, CBS News president David Rhodes said his behavior was “extremely disturbing and intolerable”.

“What may once have been accepted should not ever have been acceptable.”

Rose said in a statement on Monday: “I am greatly embarrassed. 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.”

Asked if he has anything to say to the women who had accused him of “wrongdoings”, he replied: “It’s not wrongdoings.”

Co-hosts of CBS This Morning Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell presented the show without their usual third team member, Rose, on Tuesday and broke away from their normal news reporting style to give raw, personal opinions on the behavior alleged against him.

“This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand and, more generally, the safety of women,” O’Donnell began.

The show had opened with a straight news report on a story that now involved their own station. A CBS This Morning reporter related the facts that Rose, 75, had been suspended from his job while the company looks into detailed accusations from eight women that he had made unwanted sexual advances towards them, as revealed by the Washington Post.

Allegations include lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas, and the women were employees or aspired to work for Rose at the Charlie Rose show from the late 1990s to 2011, the Post reported.

“It takes a lot of courage for these women to come forward,” said O’Donnell.

King chimed in with: “We hope they will continue to speak up.”

O’Donnell continued: “Let me be very clear. There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It’s systematic and pervasive. Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility … this has to end, this behavior is wrong.” She added that she was very proud to work for CBS, among “incredible people”.

King said she had only had an hour and 42 minutes of sleep the previous night after the explosive revelations. She said her children had called her and her best friend, the TV star and actor Oprah Winfrey, had called her.

“She said ‘are you OK?’ I’m not OK,” said King, adding that she found reading the report about Rose “troubling, disturbing and painful”.

She said she had enjoyed a friendship and professional partnership with Rose for the past five years and had held him in high regard and was struggling with how to deal with the news.

“That said, Charlie does not get a pass here, he does not get a pass from anyone in this room. We are all rocked by this,” King said.

King added that she “applauded” the women who had spoken out.

“I can’t stop thinking about the anguish to these women, what happened to their dignity … their bodies … maybe their careers,” she said.

Both women said they intended to speak to Rose later on Tuesday.