Veteran broadcaster Charlie Rose was suspended by CBS News on Monday following a Washington Post report that he sexually harassed eight women who worked on his PBS talk show .
Rose, 75, acknowledges and apologizes for the behavior recounted in the Post investigation, which details unwanted sexual advances towards the women, appearing nude in their presence and groping them. The women, aged 21 to 37 at the time, worked at "Charlie Rose" from the 1990s to 2010, the report said.
CBS News issued a brief statement saying Rose has been suspended "immediately while we look into this matter." Rose is also a contributor to the CBS newsmagazine "60 Minutes."
A PBS spokesperson said the broadcaster would immediately suspend distribution of Rose's nightly talk show "Charlie Rose."
The Post report is a potentially punishing blow to "CBS This Morning," which is the most successful morning franchise in the network's history.
After decades of futility against NBC's "Today" and ABC's "Good Morning America, the team of Rose and co-anchors Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell has given CBS its best morning ratings in 29 years.
Rose and King became co-anchors of the program in 2012. O'Donnell joined the show in July of that year, six months after its launch.
"CBS This Morning" has successfully positioned itself as substantive, newsier alternative to the other network morning programs which go to softer, entertainment-oriented content after the first half-hour. Rose's stature, built by his respected nightly, in-depth interview program for PBS and Bloomberg, helped give "CTM" a more serious image that was drawing viewers and kudos.
Rose is the first major network news personality to be swept up in the current wave of sexual harassment allegations that have effectively ended the careers of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K.
NBC News cut ties with political analyst Mark Halperin following allegations that he sexually harassed women during his tenure as political director at ABC News from 1997 to 2007.
Bill O'Reilly lost his job as a prime-time host on Fox News in April after it was revealed that he and the network settled a number of sexual harassment brought against him.
