CBS/PBS suspend Charlie Rose after sexual assault accusations

Hot on the heels of news that legendary TV news anchor Charlie Rose sexually assault or harassed eight women from the late 1990s to 2011, CBS has announced that they are suspending Charlie Rose indefinitely.

PBS, network host of Rose's eponymous Charlie Rose - has also announced that they will no longer be distributing the show.

The accounts come from 8 women who had been working on Rose's PBS show and range in severity from the anchor making lewd comments or phone calls, exposing himself and groping.  The women explained their startlingly similar experiences to the Washington Post, saying how Rose:

"...alternated between fury and flattery in his interactions with them.  Five described Rose putting his hand on their legs, sometimes their upper thigh, in what they perceived as a test to gauge their reactions. Two said that while they were working for Rose at his residences or were traveling with him on business, he emerged from the shower and walked naked in front of them. 

"One said he groped her buttocks at a staff party." 

Rose, 75, provided the Post with a formal apology:

"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.  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. 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."

Rose continued:

“I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too,” Rose added. “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.”

Read more at the Washington Post.