E! News' senior correspondent Ken Baker, who has been an outspoken critic of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, has now been accused by two women of sexual harassment and is under investigation at the cable network.
A former E! News employee alleged that Baker invited her to sit on his lap after calling her into his dimly lit office in 2012, according to the Wrap. She said that he often made inappropriate comments or touched her in ways that made her uncomfortable.
A former E! News intern alleged that Baker repeatedly propositioned her for sex over the years. She also accused Baker of kissing her in 2011 without her consent and sending her a text message in 2015 in which he said he wanted to give her a Tiffany & Co. sex toy with his name engraved on it. The former intern provided a picture of the text message to the Wrap, which published it on Friday.
The women shared their stories about Baker with the Wrap under the condition of anonymity.
Baker did not immediately respond to The Times' requests for comment. However, in a statement to the Wrap, he said he was "very disturbed by these anonymous allegations, which make my heart ache."
"I take them very seriously," he said. "I care deeply for people's feelings and sincerely live in a way that treats people with dignity and respect."
The entertainment journalist and author, 47, was also named in a 2007 lawsuit during his time at Us Weekly and was accused of putting his children's nanny on the magazine's payroll, sending her inappropriate text messages and allegedly threatening a news editor's career.
Meanwhile, E! News, which is owned by NBCUniversal, told The Times that it "has a longstanding commitment to providing a safe working environment in which everyone is treated with respect and dignity." The network said that it takes all complaints of misconduct seriously and thoroughly investigates all allegations of harassment.
According to Variety, Baker will not appear on the air while the company investigates the allegations.
