The longtime TV host, who stands accused of several instances of inappropriate sexual conduct, disputes some of the allegations' accuracy, but has apologized for 'inappropriate behavior.'
Charlie Rose has been accused of sexual harassment by eight women.
The longtime TV host, who co-anchors CBS This Morning in addition to hosting a PBS talk show, is accused of unwanted sexual advances -- including groping, lewd phone calls and nudity -- according to the women who have come forward to The Washington Post. The accusers all say they are former employees or aspiring employees of Rose, and the alleged incidents are from the late 1990s to as recently as 2010.
Five women spoke on condition of anonymity to the Post, while three came forward on the record: Rose's former assistant Kyle Godfrey-Ryan, former Charlie Rose show coordinator Megan Creydt and former intern Reah Bravo.
ET has reached out to Rose's rep. Since the Post story ran, the anchor has been suspended by CBS, PBS and reportedly Bloomberg as well.
"Charlie Rose is suspended immediately while we look into this matter," CBS tells ET in a statement. "These allegations are extremely disturbing and we take them very seriously."
"PBS was shocked to learn today of these deeply disturbing allegations," PBS says in a statement to ET. "We are immediately suspending distribution of Charlie Rose."
Bravo alleges that Rose repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances while she worked for him at his Bellport, New York, estate, as well as in cars, in a hotel room and on a private plane.
“It has taken 10 years and a fierce moment of cultural reckoning for me to understand these moments for what they were,” she tells the publication. “He was a sexual predator, and I was his victim.”
Godfrey-Ryan alleges that Rose would walk in front of her naked while she worked as his assistant in his home. The then-21-year-old goes on to allege that Rose would call her at late hours to relay his fantasies of her swimming naked in his pool, adding, "It feels branded into me, the details of it."
Godfrey-Ryan also alleges that she made Rose's longtime executive producer, Yvette Vega, aware of the phone calls.
“She would just shrug and just say, ‘That’s just Charlie being Charlie,'" Godfrey-Ryan claims.
“I should have stood up for them,” Vega tells the Post in a statement. “I failed. It is crushing. I deeply regret not helping them.”
Godfrey-Ryan alleges that Rose fired her after learning she'd confided in a mutual friend about his alleged conduct.
As for Creydt, she claims that Rose groped her while she worked on the show, from 2005-2006.
“It was quite early in working there that he put his hand on my mid-thigh,” she alleges. “I don’t think I said anything ... I tensed up. I didn’t move his hand off, but I pulled my legs to the other side of the car. I tried not to get in a car with him ever again."
In a statement to the Post, which he later tweeted, Rose disputes some of the claims made in The Post's story, while apologizing for his past behavior.
“In my 45 years in journalism, I have prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked,” Rose's statement reads. “Nevertheless, in the past few days, claims have been made about my behavior toward some former female colleagues."
“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior," he adds. "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."
“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives," Rose concludes.
