What this person's behaviour is is abhorrent and indefensible and many other things. What it isn't is new.
What so many respondents lose sight of or haven't even considered is that the role of women in the workplace only started to take root mid last century. Positions of power came much, much later. Board roles are still elusive in any significant numbers. Women have come a long way and that isn't meant as solace when you read about garbage like this. Change has always come over generations and, unless it's at the end of the barrel of a gun, it probably always will.
There are dinosaurs out there. Fortunately not as many as before and I hope that tomorrow there will be fewer. For the new era dinosaurs (bro culture) maybe you should grow up now.
2
@ "Investigators also discovered that Mr. Moonves had deleted many of his hundreds of texts with Mr. Dauer, and handed over his son’s iPad instead of his own."
He should lose his $120 million on the basis of sheer stupidity as well. Is it possible someone in this day and age, presumably well educated enough to have held his position for so many decades, would imagine that deleting texts and withholding telecom devices actually destroys the evidence?
The only reason Moonves's the texts and other communications haven't already been fully reconstructed (yet) via computer forensics, his carrier's records and the devices of those with whom he communicated is that no one has charged him with a crime (yet).
Some twenty years ago, I retired as a university professor earning about $65,000 a year. My entire pension fund amounts to about one million dollars, while Mr. Moonves was scheduled and may receive $120 million just as a "severance package." One of this is surprising in the corporate world that governs us. So silly to ever think of this country as a "democracy."
5
@Martha Stephens
Why does the fact that someone else earned more than you mean that the country is a democracy? And BTW, what kind of university professor thinks that "One of this is surprising in the corporate world that governs us" constitutes a sentence in the English language?
2
@Martha Stephens -- You are exactly right. None of this is surprising in a world where those who have the economic power control all of the political power we give to the government through our votes. When we vote, we put them in power over us to rule as our overlords, not as our representatives. We do not control the government we elect. Moonves and his peerage work and live seamlessly with the majority of the politicos and together they run the political economy as a giant farm, and we are all the goats. They own and manage the corporate government complex and we are the livestock, the hired hands and the robots.
4
The descriptions of what happened to Ms. Phillips and Dr. Peters sounds like rape. I wonder why the word wasn't used in the recent articles about this multi-tiered set of crimes and criminals. (And the major difference between Moonves and Harvey Weinstein is the way he operated.) Moonves should have been arrested and tried; instead he was protected by other craven members of the wealthy white protected masses.
4
CBS finds justification to deny paying out $120 million. Surprise, surprise.
4
Moonves along with many of his direct reports
3
Hey this guys fit to be president. He could be a shoo in. First as VP under trump then he gets his own 8 yrs. Wheee !
4
CBS was quick to oust the revered journalist, Dan Rather, but kept Moonves!!! Until CBS couldn't look away from his misogyny any longer! Shame on CBS!
17
Les Moonves's actions in the incident involving actress Bobbi Phillips brings into serious question his candor and judgment.
The relationship appears to have been consensual, and he offered her a bit role in a T.V. series for $1,500 in exchange for keeping it quiet between them. Compared with Reno, Nevada standards, where BJs can usually go for about $200, this seems like a fair amount.
However, watching Stormy Daniels collect $135,000, and then Karen McDougal over $2.5 million, Ms. Phillips likely took offense and upped the extortion ante. When Mr. Moonves countered with an offer of $5,000 for the T.V. role, she and her agent Marv Dauer decided to go public.
Where CBS really has to question Les Moonves's judgment is in his relationship with Marv Dauer. This is like asking Julio the golf cart attendant at the local country club to set you up for a few days with a nice-looking lady. What was Mr. Moonves ever doing with Marv Dauer? That's just plain weird.
1
The scandal isnt the sex. Or the harassment (age old tale). It is the level of compensation these public corporation execs receive from their Board supposedly acting in the service of their shareholders. It is obscene.
8
@Robert
No, the scandal isn't the "sex." It's the sexual assault.
14
I wonder what the "morning line" is on how soon Julie Chen files for divorce. (*)
Instead of the cameras being focused on the Big Brother House, maybe she should have had those cameras focused on his office.
(*) I am thinking of Silda Wall Spitzer divorcing former Governor Eliot "Client 9" Spitzer.
5
@VJR
Raking $120 million off the kitchen table will no doubt leave a cold, bare backdrop for any husbandly appeal Moonves may yet retain.
2
These may well go down in history(no pun intended) as being the most expensive BJs ever. One can only speculate on their worthiness. He obviously will do so for years to come....
9
A $69.3 million salary. A $120 million severrance package. For putting on shows like "Survivor". Really? Does this country crave mindless entertainment that badly? Please consider that the EMT worker who kept you from dying during a heart attack makes $36,000. Our priorities are ciminally insane.
58
Apparently, it does...
6
@Em My Grandparents are obsessed with Survivor. Don't my Grandpa started on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...
In her article for CFA Magazine, Sheree Decovny explains that “Studies conducted by Canadian forensic psychologist Robert Hare indicate that about 1 percent of the general population can be categorized as psychopathic, but the prevalence rate in the financial services industry is 10 percent. And Christopher Bayer believes, based on his experience, that the rate is higher.”
The Financial Psychopath Next Door, Rogue traders are disturbingly common; BY SHERREE DECOVNY; CFA Magazine; CFA Institute; March/ April 2012.
9
How did the Times get a copy of the “draft” report along with comments from the attorneys who prepared it? Seems like a somewhat contrived and carefully orchestrated way to let the public see a snapshot of the the mischievous and devious approach that CBS is taking with this report. Sounds like the entire corporate culture needs to be indicted for this malfeasance. But we know that money always Trumps morals!! Me thinks...
4
He is common among heads of corporations and propaganda outlets. He will go down because of his treatment of women but his work even without these crimes was extremely immoral. This is a small victory but not a change that will be meaningful to the lives of the average person. A sacrificial offering to those who lust for revenge, but it will have minimal affect on the way corporations use and manipulate the media, the people and our leaders.
He was a gate keeper for celebrity. Celebrities are useless people who fool average people. They pretend to show reality but they actual train people to be good serfs. I enjoy entertainment but I do not invest any belief in any celebrities, and I sure don't believe that it teaches some kind of lessen that approaches reality.
4
there may be male employment dominance in entertainment or any other industry... but it seems it's at the highest levels that pervy dominance prevails.
is there a psychological link between the drive for worldly success and a twisted need to demonstrate sexual control? both are types of aggression.
meanwhile, back at the ranch, l'affaire Moonves should also be seen as a battle in the ongoing war for control waged by Shari Redstone.
and, last of all, no matter how brilliant or successful, how much of a contribution could one executive make to be worth $69 mil a year in compensation, when so many have to work several jobs just to try to stay alive.
the whole system is pervy.
8
Moonves probably knows where a lot of skeletons are buried about the CBS board members. They'll probably only give 40 or 50 million. Poor guy.
2
Mr. Moonves says oral sex in his office was consensual? When is it ever? It's abuse of power. CBS chose to investigate only when $120 million was at stake not when complaints of his behavior reached them. Not a lot of honor there.
Times will change when Boards are not a rubber stamp of you make money we ignore all else. The only good news is he is unlikely to get that outrageous settlement and maybe future Boards will pay more attention to harassment claims. I'm sure there are many executives who can find hit shows without abusing women.
18
Well, as long as "Julie Chen Moonves" supports the man, how bad can he be?
3
At least he is still qualified to be elected president.
14
@Timothy Spradlin Thank-you for making me laugh with your irony. Bravo!
5
The $120 million severance package should be used to compensate all the women whose careers Moonves destroyed through his abuse.
10
For years Moonves was the most famous graduate of my high school, Valley Stream Central. Now he may be the most infamous.
7
@Phil Rubin
Central High in Philly has the same problem now re: Bill Cosby.
5
Bloomberg News reports this week that some Wall Street boys' answer is to stay away from women - don't take them with the gang for drinks, don't sit next to them on a plane, book a room on another floor.
Or, as one Socially Conscious Wall Street man said, "Just don't act like a jerk". Great idea.
Wome who work at the firms who are "staying away from women" should leave and get together to form their own true employee-owned firm where they share equitably in responsibility, company direction and profits. What a winner that will be. Sign me up!
7
At CBS everyone knew what he was doing, but nobody, least of all the CBS Board of Directors whose job it was, to do something, did anything about it.
That might be the epitaph for this once great country.
22
Wait! $120 million. what would you do?
3
Exactly right, Ralph! All the more reason we should move quickly and decisively to limit executive pay. We saw in The Times earlier this week that Mitt Romney’s dad, George, did not believe that CEOs should make more than $2 million in today’s dollars. I don’t for a minute believe that Les Moonves character is a result of being paid too much (a pig is a pig), but I wholeheartedly agree that there was no incentive for him to do the right thing.
5
It’s always the coverup that slips them up. Take note Donald.
14
I do not fathom the motivation to do anything to another person to leave them in a state of shock and violation for the rest of their lives.
6
@Steve Bolger
For a lot of these men, that's exactly why they do it. Their specific intent is to inflict permanent harm and humiliation on another human being. That's the thrill of it. It's a power trip, pure and simple, except when it's also alloyed with sadism. The sexual acts are only a means to that end.
Just based on their wealth alone, these men could find plenty of willing, even eager, partners, professional and amateur alike.
But they prefer to force themselves on people -- "little people" over whom they wield power. Power over whether these little people succeed in an acting career or die in obscurity; whether they're employed or unemployed; whether they can afford food, clothing and shelter.
Why would these exceedingly powerful men resort to force and coercion -- putting their career, wealth and even their power itself at risk -- unless that was specifically what they wanted to do?
1
I get a hint in all of this of how sexual harassment and assault are seen by some men as major sources of employment and professional advancement for women. Why not? It's a women's issue, so let the ladies handle it.
Two women were to get acting work to muzzle accusations of sexual abuse against Moonves. Two female lawyers were then hired to investigate the accusations against the CBS CEO.
GOP Senators a few months ago hired a reputedly tough female attorney to interrogate an alleged sexual assault victim of conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh in order to get Kavanaugh a U.S. Supreme Court seat. Republicans kind of had to import a woman because there were no female GOP members on the Senate committee tasked with the job and all those (white) males didn't want to look like bullies.
There are plenty more such instances of this but I have to say, give the news media some credit because not all of the investigate writers ferreting out such #MeToo abuses are female. I hope their editors keep this in mind.
4
For someone to be compensated to the tune of $1B over 10 years and behave like that, he deserves no mercy or reward. If there's any fairness left, the abused women should be helped in any legal endeavours toward just and punitive compensation from this entitled predator.
25
How do these guys have time to do their jobs when they have such a deluge of personal income to deploy?
1
Of course these guys expect a lot of money. The actors are getting a lot of money, and surely they are worth more than mere actors! It's all about ego, and they are being compensated by other egotists in a chummy 1% game of flattery.
Rather than sighing about these high compensation packages, I would offer a simpler solution: tax them all at over 70%. That worked in the 1950s and 1960s, allowing us to build a national highway system and go to the moon, so it can sure work today.
Clearly, all that money isn't good for their souls. If you pay someone like a king, they behave like a king, including thinking they are above the law. This country got rid of kings for good reason. We just need to keep getting rid of them wherever they crop up.
24
@RVC. I really like the tax idea and it should be implemented. Of course, you'll have to talk to Donald about that. Good luck.
7
This says it all: “She recalls Kopelson responding that the incident had happened a long time ago and was trivial, and said, in effect, ‘We all did that."
In a related article here on NYT, Kopelson is quoting as saying dozens of women can come forward with the same sort of accusations and he's sticking with Moonves because he is their leader. Exactly right.
It's not just that all these guys care only about money, success and power. It's that women are truly just objects to them, worthless and meaningless except to satisfy their sexual desires. It's increasingly apparent how widespread this attitude and behavior is among men who are in positions of power in every field, not just entertainment. And yet many people still believe that institutional misogyny is a myth and women are not disadvantaged in any way in our country.
31
@Nelle Engoron...You can spin the wheel anyway which way that it suits your ideological bent. CBS' controlling shareholder is still Shari Redstone. CBS still hired Mary Jo White, SEC head under Obama and US Attorney for the Southern District. And, Nancy Kestenbaum, a former prosecutor in the Southern District. Believing is seeing.
@Albert Edmund
Shari is the daughter of, uh, Sumner Redstone. Hardly an independent success story for women; she inherited his shares of the company. The women mention who were hired to investigate Moonves were hired so that the company would not have to be shamed by hiring men to investigate a male crime. Although there is a good suggestion here--investigating rogue sexually deviant men in power could be a growth industry for women.
8
A company which rewards an individual who has destroyed lives, families, futures and the mental health of its employees should not be functional.
It should be fervently hoped that Mr. Moonves' legacy will be the swift decline and disappearance of CBS, a punishment that barely, barely fits the crimes. Letting hundreds lose their jobs because of the actions of one man is an immoral suggestion ?
So is rewarding that individual with the salaries of hundreds.
18
@glork Perfectly said.
2
@glork: Maybe we should quit calling corporations people because corporations can't have sex. Players of the game of corporate King of the Mountain are another story altogether. Employees are the grass who gets trampled when the elephants clash. CBS, the corporation, is as mindless as God.
It's too often the case that CEOs and other senior executives behave like sociopaths. They've achieved their statuses by climbing over others in search of power. Once they have this power, they act like they're invincible, above the law. People are just pawns to move around and exploit. Their narcissism blinds them to the damage they do to other people's lives. It's impossible to boot out all of the transgressors, but let's continue to identify them one man at a time.
32
@RVW What do you mean "like"? They ARE.
6
@RVW: People expect some kind of command demeanor from leaders.
1
@Steve Bolger. Oh please, Steve. That justifies bad behavior? Are people really that stupid or is it just you?
3
What's another $120 million when you have an 'on-call' indentured servant? The use of that term demeans that woman more than she already was. I feel so sorry for her.
It wasn't about the money, it was about the power.
14
"a dozen women, including a doctor" not so subtly implies the first eleven may or or not be believed, but a "doctor" should be given credibility. This is incredibly insulting way in which case o start a proven story in which witness credibility is not one of the issues.
34
@Steve B
I agree with your main point. But why do you say "witness credibility is not one of the issues"? Says who? We've only heard from the accusers, not the accused.
2
@GMooG what do you think the probability is that all the accusers are making their accusations up and that the accused is innocent of wrongdoing? I would call it an extremely low probability. It is a fact that the accused destroyed a lot of evidence. Don't you think that makes it highly probable he did something wrong? Remember, the standards are not those of a criminal court of law, although that may come into play.
11
@jeffk
You may well be right. And Moonves sure sounds like a sleaze. But the fact remains that none of us actually knows what happened, and we have heard only one side of the story.
Do their stories sound credible? Sure, but again, we have not heard the other side. Lots of stories sound credible, until they do not (Duke lacrosse, Richard Jewell, Wen-Ho Lee, Tawana Brawley, etc).
2
In the age of trump we still reward sexual predators and liars.
18
Lock him up!
16
"forced oral sex" ? Brave man ...
11
How come poor black people get 20 years for an ounce of pot, but this rich old white guy gets 120 million bucks for sexual assault?
40
@KS
Because he has not been convicted, let alone charged, with any crime. And BTW, nobody gets 20 years for possession of an ounce of pot.
3
What is it about being a wealthy, famous and powerful man that compels one to masturbate in front of a non-receptive audience? This procloclivity seems to be a very common denominator among so many of these types. I’d be very interested in an explanation.
24
These are old men who grew up in a time where men dragged women around by the hair.
Upcoming generations of men need to be re-socialized to how all people should be treated with respect. That NO means NO.
Teach your sons, nephews, cousins about respect for all.
13
@MHV
Oh, please. Decent men have always treated other human beings -- even the female ones -- with respect. Moonves was born in 1949. He's a Baby Boomer. My grandfathers are far older and would have found such behavior unthinkable, simply because they weredecent people.
Have you read "The Subjection of Women" by John Stuart Mill lately? Published in 1869.
2
I’m embarrassed that I once worked for CBS.
2
Television is, at the end of the day, part of the advertising industry. Billboards, radio, newspapers, television, magazines etc. Moonves was just another character out of Madmen. But he was doing his thing and victimizing women in the wrong era..if there was ever a right one, and it finally caughtup with him. How he escaped scrutiny for so many years is really a reflection of the overall moral backdrop he operated in....Hopefully, that is changing. He should not get a single cent of severance...
67
@Harley Leiber: Moonves apparently did grow out of it. But the scars he left behind are indelible.
6
@Harley Leiber I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiment; Moonves should receive no severance and it a depressing commentary on the industry, and society at large, that he was allowed to perpetrate these acts with impunity for so long.
While I think you included the phrase "if there was ever a right one" to counter the implication of saying "wrong era", I feel the need to clarify implicitly that no, there was never a "right era" to be victimizing women.
10
@Harley Leiber
Pure and simple: Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts, absolutely. Harvey Weinstein, Charley Rose, Matt Lauer, Tom Brokaw, Bill O'Reilly, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Bill Cosby, John Kennedy, Gary Hart...the list goes on.
13
Imagine if a female executive had behaved like this. No, wait - she probably would never have attained that position because the male victims would have been believed.
17
Perhaps now retired and with his name recognition and reputation for hit making, a presidential run could be in the offing. All the necessary qualifications seem to be falling right into place for him.
9
@John Doe
Very true. He is a Democrat, serial abuser of women. We've elected those before!
3
@GMooG, between the Bush funeral and that walk down their memory lane and now your reminder of Bill Clinton, Trump would be wise to say nothing like the silent observer he was this morning and let the echos of the past speak for him. Far more effective than any of his stupid Tweets, to say the least.
1
Nice. Now not only will he not get paid, he will get brought up by CBS or an ambitious AG on obstruction of justice charges and go to jail. Which is also wonderful for the women, if their statutes of limitation for sexual assault have expired. Well played, sir.
4
@ann
This is a private (contractual) matter, rather than a criminal one. He has not been charged with any crime, nor is he the subject of any criminal investigation. Obstruction of justice has nothing to do with this.
3
Tell me. When one media outlet writes a scathing account of sexual misconduct at another media outlet, is there a conflict of interest which should be disclosed? After all, national media outlets compete with each other for viewer loyalty.
@michjas they are reporting this right out in the open. Each reader can make their own judgement call. I say there is no conflict of interest if it is the truth, unlike some news outlets that publish known, undisputed lies (Fox, Breitbart, etc.).
1
The whole point of disclosing conflicts is to admit bias. If you, as a reader, assume that the Times is always truthful, then you assume that it is unimpeachable. Worshiping your news source is a sign of uncritical reading.
A class act this perp called Moonves. Total lack of integrity and accountability. All that power and lechery wielded by a little boy in a man’s body who can’t take responsibility for his disgusting and cruel actions. Let’s hope Julie Chen sees him clearly now for what and who he is.
10
@Skip Bonbright He married her, she started working on CBS. Now he's not and she's not. I think she saw him clearly all along.
3
The Good Old Boys really had a heyday since Reagan didn't they? Laizza faire economics coupled with instatiable greed really brought out the animal in many.
Thanks, again, to Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton for having the courage to step up and run to be the first female President of the United States and take all the hate and hurt she knew to expect because of the previous 30+ years of it she had endured.
The very idea that someone like The Con Don would be elected over the Most Qualified Candidate to Ever Run to be President of the United States simply because SHE is female sent millions of Socially Conscious Women and men to the streets in protest the day after the sham inaugaraion.
It caused Socially Conscious Women across America and around the world to step up and take power to stop institutinoalized gender discrimination.
It caused hundreds of millions of women around the world to join the #MeToo movement and show the world sexual discrimination and harassment's true cost.
It caused a new awareness of the destruction by the insatiably greedy 0.01% - mostly men - who thought they controlled it all. It caused WE THE PEOPLE to step up and say NO. No more.
Socially Conscious Women must not allow men to try to co-opt the women's movement. They will just try to kill it. Again.
5
@njglea
This comment is hilarious. "The Good Old Boys really had a heyday since Reagan"? I guess that makes the First Abuser, Bill Clinton, a Reagan-Republican good old boy.
"Thanks, again, to Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton..." For what, exactly? For enabling Bill, over many years, so that he could continue his serial sexual harassment & assaults on women? For calling his accusers "wackos," "looney tunes," and "bimbos"?
You go, girl!!
4
Ironic that you celebrate Hillary Clinton in the same comment in which you decry greed...
3
GMooG and random must be "boys". I have never - nor will I ever - forgive Bill Clinton for gutting the Glass-Stegall act which allowed the Robber Barons free reign to gamble with OUR hard-earned retirement dollars.
Bill was a known women chaser when he ran - they called him slick Willie. I'm sure Hillary knew but SHE had her own agenda and - like many women - hung in there and focused on the good she could do.
Hillary and Bill are two individuals. Stop trying to make her complicit in his actions.
4
a stark reminder of how male-dominated ALL industries remain, especially in their upper ranks.
7
To add insult to injury is he not rich enough that he needs to fight for this 120 million which may end up in a settlement anyway?
8
Boards of Directors are little more than corporate cheerleaders with little interest in doing more than lining their own pockets and those of the executives. The company is just a cash cow to bleed as long as possible. Not much intelligence evident in any of these organizations. More like a mafia than anything else.
14
Interesting the complete and total silence from the hosts of the CBS morning show today about this story. Since they're all supposed to be journalists, how did they first miss Charlie Rose's pattern of harassment and assault, and then Moonves'?
Perhaps because they weren't looking in the first place? The entire network is looking like a Catholic bishop when confronted with similar allegations. Ignore it and hope it goes away since we're all making lots of money.
19
@Lou Good
Anyone who thinks that the hosts of the CBS morning show are "journalists" is woefully mistaken.
9
I am thoroughly disgusted by the inhumane disgraceful actions of this man. He needs to go to prison for the rest of his life, give all of his assets to victims of sexual harassment so they might heal a little, and apologize to the people he hurt.
9
Seems to me the 4 employees who were expected to perform oral sex at his (and maybe others' whim) deserve to be paid that $120 million...
29
#NoDough4Moonves
6
He requests a special 7 am appointment with an endocrinologist, and then attempts to engage in sexual conduct with her. She says he masturbated in the examination room. He admits kissing her.
What kind of person does that? And if he has such a complete lack of self-control, how was he able to hold down an executive job at CBS, or any job for that matter?
33
Wow! Two obscene revelations: $69 million annual salary + (non-consensual) oral sex.
23
Send him to jail and have his dirty money relinquished.
10
There are far too many heads of corporations and their cronies behaving like dominant apes in and out of the workplace. This is a systemic problem, not one involving isolated individuals. The deterrants to such outrageous behavior are not nearly strong enough, and the criteria and methods that corporations use to choose their leaders are deeply flawed.
19
I find the comment "Moonves’s marriage in 2004 to Julie Chen, now the host of “Big Brother,” appears to have been a “bright line” after which his sexual misconduct seemed to have stopped"....that is hard to believe, once a serial sex offender always a serial predator. I'm sure there are more women that have been sexual assaulted by him but still stay in the background afraid of retaliation of some sort.
36
@Larry Those women are probably still working there and know there is still no accountability.
4
But, but, I thought Leftists were feminists who respected women?! Who would have thought that a bunch of religion-hating, norm-destroying secularists in Hollywood and Manhattan would engage in such immoral behavior?
Everybody in flyover country, that's who.
5
@Expatico Because people in flyover country are expert in sexual debauchery?
4
The terrifying reality is that Mr. Moonves is very normal in his behavior, the reflection of a culture that accepts male sexual aggression as commonplace, and his position on top of that. Mr. Moonves is just one of a long list of men who have used their power to gratify themselves sexually. It is absolutely appropriate to point fingers at Mr. Moonves and diligently pursue litigation against him and others like him, but as mere mortal men we need to also self-reflect if we are going to break this culture of violence. I'm not convinced by men who point at Mr. Moonves and say, simply, that they think he's a sicko, or aberrant. Look at our movies, our books, our advertising, look at how we react to women in power, and how reactionary a lot of men get about movements like #metoo, or Feminism, or gender studies.
70
@George
It's particularly disheartening to see how reactionary (to put it politely) a lot of young men have become these days with regard to women's rights -- even banding together into new forms of backlash and attack, such as in the resurgence of fascism in that age bracket (what its adherents have euphemistically and self-servingly dubbed "alt-right," as if there were anything "alternative" or even new about it), as well as the particularly malevolent and violent form of internet trolling directed at women they see as gaining power or entering male-dominated preserves (see, e.g., Gamergate, Ghostbusters 2, or the reactionary insistence that "there are only two genders").
A close examination of fascism and other politically retrograde movements among young men today reveals that they are at least as preoccupied with maintaining gender power and privilege as they are with maintaining racial power and privilege.
2
Had I known that entertainment executives enjoyed such lucrative "benefits" perhaps I would have taken a much different career path. Les had it made, and he "blew" it.
3
It's gratifying to see that Moonves will lose his $120M plutonium parachute as a consequence of his actions. Too many corporations allow malefactors in the executive suite to include an obscenely fat severance check in the boxful of possessions they carry out of the building.
I volunteer to wreck any corporation willing to engage me for HALF the amount they pay in severance to their ousted executives. And I bet I can do a better job of it!
5
@WTK Did you mean "platinum parachute"?
Maybe the $120million should be given to the women who had the courage to speak out.
16
First they want money, then power, and then control. It's been going on for decades but now a spotlight is shining thanks to the MeToo movement.
8
"The "$120 million misunderstanding?"
Those payoff days are mostly over, even at Google. Stay tuned for the final chapter of Les-Is-More, as a fat wallet trumps hurt pride any day.
4
He made lots of money for stockholders. That is all that should matter.
2
@No: He also took a lot of money from shareholders. Ever think of it that way?
7
@Allison
He hasn't taken a thing from shareholders that they did not agree to give him (ie, his salary, stock & bonuses). That may change if any of these women successfully sue CBS, but as of now, he hasn't taken a dime from shareholders.
2
@GMooG: He had to convince them to pay him that much. If he is willing to lie about his sexual escapades, who knows what else he lied to the stockholders about?
Sounds like he has all of the characteristics required to run for public office in the United States - maybe even become our President.
2
Good lord. What a terrible human being. I understand the CBS board would be hand picked by Moonves to make sure his interests were always paramount, but this thing is screaming for SEC action for malfeasance. Sadly, I expect little other than turning backs on a creepy man, past his prime. Meanwhile, the women he abused are left with psychic scars because he saw them as his lessers. I hope he rots.
9
Why does any human being deserve a 120 million dollar severance package?
The greed of late capitalism is just vulgar and repugnant.
Apparently, the other scandal is that Moonves misled investigators and destroyed evidence to cover up sexual harassment allegations to protect his payoff.
A corporate titan who scooped up all the cash he could at the expense of their employees engaged in immoral behavior?
Well, color me shocked.
16
Watch CBS? That's why he "deserved" the $. The market speaks..if you are upset over the size of his salary, understand that many of us are part of the "problem."
And that is completely separate from the issue of his behavior, which is abhorrent.
3
It's been revealed Moonves had someone on staff who appeared in his office to perform "transactional" sex - a prostitute.
Raising the question of where the line will be drawn between sexual assault and solicitation of prostitution. In that case, with the employee also guilty of a crime, is Moonves being denied his pension on legal or moral grounds?
7
Forget sex, sexual harassment and transactional sex. Doesn't this story lay out a case for civil fraud and maybe even criminal fraud. If he violated his contract then the 120M isn't his. Period. And I suppose he could be subject to a civil award of damages to the corporation and perhaps criminal fines and/or jail if there is a basis for criminal fraud.
8
@Copse
Where is the fraud?
In what appears to be his false representations to the company that he is in compliance with his contract and in his apparent efforts to suppress information to the contrary
1
@Copse
No. Among other things, fraud requires that the party to whom the fraudulent representations or claims were made (1) be ignorant of the falsity, (2) rely on the falsity, and (3) be damaged by the reliance on the falsity. Here, CBS is obviously aware that Moonves' representations about consent were false, and thus there is no fraud
1
Michaels Cohen & Flynn, represent to me generally decent people who chose the make unlawful political actions that need to be mitigated, and perhaps already have by their comeuppance and cooperation.
Moonves and his ilk represent to me gravely indecent people who chose to make unlawful desecrations against humanity that need to be mitigated, and there is not nor will there ever be a sufficient protocol by which to achieve this parity. Throw the book at him nonetheless.
12
Mr. Moonves has helped a number of TV shows I have watched and enjoyed. For this I thank him.
For his abuses against more than a few women, I hope he loses his severance package. His art does not absolve him of any of his cruelties.
I also hope that this brings proper changes in governance not just at CBS but in our wider society. Power should be used for purpose, not abused for selfish whims.
15
@Jacob Sommer
As an artist myself, I must clarify: It wasn't "his art." It was others' art that he accepted for airing on the network he ran.
Think of a show as a painting and the airing as an art gallery. Is the art gallery curator the creator of the art, or one who chooses what art s/he thinks will appeal to the museum's audience? Therein is your answer. Big difference.
Not to be insulting, but to me, personally, I didn't watch "his" hits, except to watch an episode and realize they were mostly trash. However, as in all art, "beauty" (if you can call a commercial TV show that) lies in the eye of the beholder.
As for the allegations pending against him, if they are true, and I assume they are based on the reports in The NYT, it sickens me.
10
Last sentence: ...”How male dominated the entertainment industry is”—as if that’s a surprise, as if entertainment enterprises are somehow different from law, politics, business, medicine — in short, the halls of power and money, built to uphold by the hierarchical gender construct that is, along with racial constructs, the architecture of our society.
32
@Melanie And don't forget about "Non-profit" health care and NYS health government!
4
@Melanie And, unfortunately, as we see in today's American "politics", it will HAVE to be a case of "prying (real equality)...out of my cold, dead hands".
We are still animals, "intelligent" apes, recently down from the trees, arrogant, vicious, driven by millions of years of evolutionary forces we're attempting to understand (control is still beyond us), and the undeniable force of human procreation's physical inequality still "owns" us. It's difficult, though not impossible, to be optimistic about our future.
2
I don’t understand guys like this. Not only are his actions demeaning for his female victims, his actions demean him.
Forcing women to have sex; masturbating in front of them....that’s really sick stuff. The only “explanation” that I can come up with is some outsized need to demonstrate power and control, and, that, by itself, is pretty sick.
Putting this in less analytical terms, the guy’s a pig.
101
Well put. Poor innocent pigs though. One served to provide me with a new heart valve, something that Moonves clearly won't ever need since he does not appear to have a heart.
12
I'm trying to understand how Moonves can be charged for misconduct, and Jeffrey Epstein can have "charges" dropped by paying off his victims. Where does it say in our law books that you can pay off victims of crimes? Why is Acosta still in the cabinet?
35
Maybe Moonves should have hired Jeffrey Epstein's legal team to intimidate Kirkland and Covington. They scared a federal prosecutor into rolling over and playing dead on charges that would have brought a life sentence. I'm sure they could have done even better against mere corporate law firms.
38
Of course, Moonves should be in jail, but I suppose the statute of limitations on these crimes (which is what they are) has expired.
But I hope he will be publicly shamed for what he's done. When staying at fancy resorts or eating at lavish restaurants, I hope people will loudly and publicly confront him for his crimes against women.
There is nothing harder for the once truly powerful and renowned to be ridiculed and treated with utter disdain. And Moonves deserves nothing less.
34
What about the victims? Where are their headlines? Where are their generous severance packages? Where are the accolades for the networks they revived?
Oh wait - they’re women.
Abused, suppressed and forgotten.
83
Sex, money, and power seem mankind's unholy trinity: Too many of us will do almost anything to get them in large amounts in any way possible. Examples abound, in fact, way too many examples.
Our situation is thus nauseating, depressing, and omnipresent. Our animal instincts apparently cannot be eradicated, so we must be aware of them, vitally aware of them, and create systems and organizations to discover, control, or stop widespread egregiousness. Small violations cannot be curbed. Limits exist.
Many of us, it seems, cannot be trusted to self-monitor and walk the ethical or moral line. Sad, but true. So, any answers or solutions?
Belief in god is largely dead in modernity, so no solutions are to be found in religion. Big Brotherism? Well, some greater degree of supervision seems warranted; to do nothing and expect improved results is insane. But the world doesn't need another Red China; one is one too much.
We have a problem -- we used to call it a sinful nature -- and it's us, or in a lot of us. And our major ethical weaknesses may paradoxically be stronger than our better angels can handle.
(Moby Dick also lived forever and could not be killed. Maybe we can, though, go about it more wisely than Captain Ahab did: a full-on assault merely ended with his and his crew's death, except for Ishmael who was left to warn us. So was Herman Melville telling us to accept the inevitable? Our response matters; and our response depends upon our knowledge of humanity.)
8
@Jim Muncy
Such self-serving fatalism. Self-serving since it always seems to be commenters with male names who engage in it when the topic is men's criminality or morally despicable behavior.
Most human beings are decent people who wouldn't even want to rape another person, or coerce them into sex and exploit the other person's relative powerlessness via a "casting couch"-type quid pro quo. Not because of any religious beliefs, but because they know it's wrong to intentionally hurt someone, especially for a purely selfish reason like one's own gratification, sexual or otherwise.
As for the minority that *does* commit such crimes or immoral acts, the rest of us can marshal a whole battery of social controls against them. Arrest, indictment & prison against the criminals. Boycotts, law suits, public shaming, loss of employment and other privileges, voting out of office, ostracism, and the severing of relationships against those who committed immoral but non-criminal acts.
Getting rid of the statue of limitations for sex crimes would also be a simple but enormously effective counter-measure.
Quit it with the portentous, quasi-religious, vaguely philosophical, high school English lit-class mumbo-jumbo. Men raping and sexually exploiting women isn't some mythic Ur-beast of human nature, and stopping it isn't rocket science.
1
What is it with these execs? What culture surrounds them that think their behavior is 'ok'?? And boards of these companies forgive them or overlook their behavior since they produce revenue for the shareholders or other investors. As Bob Dylan said, "money doesn't talk, it swears"
34
Les Moonves' monstrous behavior was a poorly-kept secret, which suggests that he had his enablers among the CBS bro-hood. So why reward CBS for fostering an environment where this sort of behavior is tolerated by letting them keep their $120 mil? They should donate the entire $140 million to one of the #MeToo legal funds to give the victims of workplace assault a voice.
Going forward, every time a media entity settles a case of sexual harassment, an amount equal to the settlement should be donated to these legal funds instead of forcing victims to sign draconian non-disclosure agreements.
55
@Annabelle G Just in a companion story right here, another of the execs said "but we ALL did it."
36
69+ million dollars a year and this guy didn’t cure cancer or end world hunger, unbelievable! He never had to worry about losing his job and how he would pay his bills, that makes a man feel pretty powerful. I think that would make a sexual predator feel very confident he could do whatever he wanted to.
143
Leaving aside the allegations against Mr. Moonves, can I just say that it is highly improbable that anyone deserves a $120M severance package? That is a ridiculous sum. There is not a person on the planet whose contributions could be worth such an amount. American business has completely lost all sense of proportion, not to mention propriety, by paying these outlandish sums to executives. Moonves has already been paid over one billion (!) dollars. Surely he's managed to scrape together a comfortable retirement from that. To add a multi-million dollar severance package is preposterous, for any executive at any company. Do the powers that be at CBS not consider for a moment the effect this has on the average worker at the network, trying to just feed a family? It's disgusting. Why American workers don't rise up against the unfairness of it all is beyond me.
305
@Ms. Pea
"Do the powers that be at CBS not consider for a moment the effect this has on the average worker at the network, trying to just feed a family?"
Why should they? Because you say so? That is exactly the kind of naive indulgence that creates this kind of pattern. Remember Germany? It wasn't Hitler, it was the millions of regular people who did the actual physical imprisoning, torturing, killing. So what have we done to deserve better?
6
average workers are never the concern of management or boards; workers are a dime a dozen, easily replaceable if not better eliminated all together. it is stars they are concerned with, and an outlandish severance deal is one way to attract and keep them.
just business, nothing personal.
16
@Ms. Pea: Excellent observation. American executives being rewarded as if they were Saudi princes is a sign of rot in society. "Lost all sense of proportion" is indeed correct. No one person deserves that kind of pay. Many people work hard, and many people are good at managing things. There have to be alternatives to this kind of sickness. Somehow these people have convinced our society that what they do is more important than anything else anyone else does - and yet we have soldiers dying on the job, nurses dealing with the sick, teachers helping our kids - people doing truly useful work who deserve far better. Execs compete with each other to see who can rob their shareholders and companies of more. They scheme over compensation and spend extravagantly. Their shameful pay packages take money out of the pockets of other employees and deprive shareholders of larger dividends. They constipate the circulation of money, as it gets clogged up at their level and never "trickles down." We won't get a handle on this until laws are passed, limiting greedy executive compensation packages. There must be more pushback against the culture of money worship. The answer isn't religion, because the religionists are among the worst offenders in this country, mixing God and Mammon with their every word and deed, to the point where they can't tell the difference, but something has to change. Part of that should be a move toward limiting executive compensation through laws.
21
Short of inventing something new (e.g., Steve Jobs, Elon Musk) or doing a spectacular job turning around a large money losing enterprise, what can anyone possible do that it is worth 100 times what the average school teacher would earn in their entire lifetime as a severance package, or yearly wage (e.g., Jared Kushner) . All income >$1M of any kind including dividends and gains, per individual, should have a minimum Federal Income Tax rate of 50% and > $2.5M a 60% rate and > $5M a 75% rate. And of course, social security tax should be assessed on the total income in persons in those brackets. That will shore up social security and "inconvenience" < .1% of the population
93
This article reveals that his actual severance was $140 M, not $ 120 M. The missing $ 20 M was a forced donation to #metoo organizations. If he is denied his severance, won't he lose the $ 20 M as well and have to pay the donation out of his pockets?
By the way, according to last week's article, one of the acts that he describes as "consensual" took place less than an hour after he met the woman. That does not sound consensual to me. It sounds like rape.
85
The CBS Board's "negotiation" to sever Moonves for $140 million suggests the Board is completely inept and unfit to direct this company. I hope the Board doesn't do a lot of other negotiating because this looks like Moonves had the upper hand. And the part of that settlement that was earmarked as donations for organizations that support harassment training in the workplace is an equally remarkable and unbelievably weak attempt by the Board to buy it's own exoneration in the eyes of the public, their employees and even the courts. Moonves actions were a disgrace. So is CBS's handling of the matter.
70
I find "reciprocity" a rather unfortunate choice of a word in the context of the alleged incidents.
22
This is the same arrogant entitled Moonves who gave mob boss Trump hours and hours of free airtime as Trump conducted his hateful campaign for the presidency. At the time, Moonves proudly declared that he knew Trump wasn’t “good for the US”, but that “ he sure was good for CBS”. Well, it now looks like Mr. Moonves himself was not all that great for CBS or the multiple women he abused. Good riddance !
215
Remember the ‘moral outrage’ Les Moonves had over Charlie Sheen’s mental breakdown. He kicked Mr. Sheen off his show and claimed moral superiority. Karma has no deadline.
164
@Jaime Rodriguez - or Janet Jackson at the Superbowl. It seems to generally be the ones making the most noise that seem to have the most skeletons
8
His severance and more should go to the women he assaulted over the past decades. They will never feel safe again and in some cases, their careers were ruined.
54
@Amy
When a beautiful young woman steps into the office of a Hollywood bigshot, she knows what's next.
"Careers ruined," well, not always.
5
@ Heckler - Not all young women who walk into an executive's office expect to be sexually assaulted. Nor should they! If they did, no business involving young women would ever be transacted. Taking your argument to its logical conclusion would result in no young women ever being hired in the business world so long as men ruled there. Absurd.
6
Leslie Moonves is already a wealthy man, would his wife Julie still have a a job ?
I say distribute the money to Moonves`s accusers and mostly to Ms. Bobby Philips whose career Moonves destroyed completely.
40
How is this not rape, considering the non consensual nature? Criminal charges should in all sense of justice be considered.
93
@Lucy R
Three words: Statute of limitations.
Statutes that have always protected the guilty on the basis of a patently absurd set of rationales. The fading of witness memories (as if anyone ever forgets being raped) ... avoiding the disruption of "settled expectations" (yes, the *criminals'* settled expectations that they'll get away with their crimes) ... the supposed "right" of the guilty to be free from perpetual anxiety over being called to account for their crimes (oh, the poor little criminal snowflakes), etc., ad nauseam. These are nothing but rationalizations one set of powerful men have created to let another set of powerful men off the hook.
There's no statute of limitation for murder. We need to demand that our legislators amend the law to make it the same for sex crimes.
4
The board gets to commission and pay for its own report with the outcome determining whether it has to make a $120MM payment? Mr. Moonves sure seems like a skeez, but somewhere some kangaroos in judicial robes are guffawing.
7
I guess you don’t understand corporate governance.
9
@Tad La Fountain
Why shouldn't the board get to pay for its own lawyers & report? This is a private, contractual matter between the board and Moonves.
4
Having been a stock analyst for over 25 years and having closely covered over 100 publicly-owned companies (and looked at at least three times that number), I can safely say that no one understands corporate governance. And I have no problem being identified with that group.
My point is that this exercise reeks of the same dynamic we saw when issuers paid the ratings agencies to pass judgment on their mortgage-backed securities: the decision is much more likely to be based on the wants and needs of the party paying the bill than on the merits of the situation. If those aspects align, it's probably just happenstance.
The irony in all of this was revealed by Jim Collins of Stanford in "Good to Great": the greatest shareholder returns in the S&P 500 have tended to accrue to those investors in companies with self-effacing CEOs - the kind that you never hear about and whom the business media doesn't lionize. The CBS board - with all of its own screwed-up dynamics - probably couldn't hire a good CEO for a lemonade stand.
One can only hope that the outrage here will encourage voters to demand a confiscatory income tax on incomes over a certain amount and a confiscatory inheritance tax. There ought to be a reassessment of laws regarding corporate governance because stockholders are largely powerless against these rapacious CEOs. Thank you for the reporting. This is why I continue to subscribe.
56
"...stockholders are largely powerless against these rapacious CEOs."
They can sell their stock, can't they?
11
@Heckler
Stockholders OWN the company. Stocks represent a bundle of rights. Free transferability is but one of those rights.
Capitalism 101.
6
@as
These stockholders couldn't care less as long as the money pours into their stock portfolios. Greed is unfortunately quite "consensual."
3
The casting couch has been a part of the entertainment business since the beginning of time. Some men (i.e., to show their power) and some women (i.e., to get to the head of the line) have taken advantage of the system. It will be interesting to see how this all works out.
12
@Rod
While some women may have gained advantages by submitting to the “casting couch” those who refused to play that game were penalized beyond merely having to wait in line. They were kicked to the back of the line or thrown off of it altogether. Now multiple that by every industry women desire to work in. Men playing games with women’s lives and livelihoods extends well beyond the entertainment business.
#MeToo hasn’t gone far enough in correcting these abuses of power.
28
I don't know the details of the Moonves investigation, which puts me in the same class with 99.9999 percent of the people who have strong opinions about this matter. The fact is that Moonves is a symbol, who must be destroyed for symbolic purposes.
The moment the CBS board commissioned an "independent investigation," it was a foregone conclusion that the board would deny him his severance. Such investigations are an expensive and cynical artifice to shield the board and continuing management from public condemnation.
I would be willing to bet that Moonves ultimately will win his severance in litigation and that we will learn of the outcome in a tiny, tiny story on the back page of the business section.
14
@AR Clayboy - how much would you be willing to bet?
7
@AR Clayboy
So unless we know the details of an investigation, and only its conclusions, we cannot hold an opinion?
We may not know the details of 9/11, but we know the conclusion.
4
@AR Clayboy Note that these investigations are done by corporate law firms rather than retired cops. This gives the corporation the option to hide the report as a confidential attorney-client communication.
Here, even more money is going out the door because TWO white-shoe firms have been hired. Apparently one hired by the Redstone faction, the other by the non-Redstones.
Probably the only time I’ll ever side with a big fat Corporation. Take his pity and serve 120 million away from him… Wow that’s going to hurt a lot… I wonder how much she has socked away under his mattress!?
6
Let me guess which party Les Moonves is affiliated with...
4
Most Hollywood elites are liberals so I’m guessing he’s a Democrat.
1
@Brandon. Wow. As if countless republican men havent been caught with their pants down...among so many other things. The myopia of the right is astonishing.
1
@Brandon
He's a Democrat
The Board of Directors of CBS signaled early on that they would accept obscenities, when they offered a severance package of $120MM to someone being paid tens of millions a year. This is not just about physical rape. It is about the rape of community. Time for yellow vests.
72
If I just put aside what he has done and look at only his fight to keep the $120M severance package I have to ask why he needs this so badly? I would bet everything I own that he was an extremely highly compensated person for most of the last 20 years of his reign in Hollywood so why isn't it possible for him and his family to live on that and cost go quietly away? Are you seriously telling me he's living paycheck-to-paycheck based on what he made? If that's so he doesn't need a severance package he needs a course in budgeting. What a self-aggrandizing, greedy, disgusting person - not to mention his actions that caused his downfall.
121
@orangecat The story stated he has been paid over 1 billion in compensation.
16
@orangecat
There are lawyers more than eager to take the case.
I don't see this incident as a reflection of "greed" on the part of Moonves.
2
@orangecat:
This is not about the money. It is about trying to maintain status and avoid opprobrium.
Moonves, like many, many people, will do almost anything to avoid public shaming. To admit to such abhorant behavior would be to admit he is not the big man he believes himself to be.
9
destroyed evidence and misled investigators in an attempt to preserve his reputation and save a lucrative severance deal - typical American CEO. They will cheat a grandmother to get ahead.
106
These men who have had the power to decide what we watch - its content, message, and cast of characters - are without moral integrity. What they've spewed to the public (and we've watched) is violent, misogynistic, and destructive. Television should offer hope, decency, values, and education. It should bring us together, not tear us apart. We should feel good about it and ourselves after viewing a show. Instead, most television is like a cancer that spreads its message of despair directly into our brains and leaves us weaker for it. It's time to demand more enlightened entertainment and stop criticizing shows that don't contain violence as "boring."
34
@Amy Haible
Excellent points and the reason I haven't watched TV in over a decade.
11
@ExPatMX I do love The Great British Bake Off. The cooks actually help each other out!
14
@Amy Haible
" We should feel good about it and ourselves after viewing a show."
TV as therapy! Good luck with that.
3
This whole thing strikes me as overkill. He resigned and he's leaving. Is The times determined to keep these stories on p. 1 no matter what happens?
2
So, a man who was paid over $1 billion in total over his time at CBS and is now found out to be a serial abuser of women needs his $120 million severance package.
I am very interested to learn what will happen so as much as you state "he resigned,he is leaving" should be the end of the story, I disagree.
27
The severance deals these guys get is obscene.
47
What a creep. Even more concerning is the fact that these Media moguls control the information we receive on the public airwaves.
75
Definition disconnect.
The instances given in this article sound more like a sexual contract (prostitution) than either "non-consensual sex" or "sexual assault". I am not saying any of it is justifiable. The agents statement sounds a bit like blackmail. And I wonder who initiated the obviously verbal contract. Having said that, the very nature of the relationship, boss - subordinate would make him a dishonorable cad if true.
2
@Ben "Dishonorable cad" yes, criminal, no. The sex here is transactional rather than non-consensual unless you believe he obtained these instances of oral sex at the point of a gun (and I don't think anyone has made that allegation). Distasteful as it undoubtedly was for these women, they essentially entered into an arrangement whereby they would advance their careers or keep jobs they already had by cooperating in Moonves' sexual advances, then — pardon the tasteless pun — kept their mouths shut for 15 years or more. Does this make Moonves a spectacularly lousy excuse for a person? Absolutely. But to claim now, after the benefits of the relationships these women cooperated in have been conferred, that the whole thing constituted the crime of sexual assault, is a bit much. Either one has to report unacceptable behavior right away and accept the possible consequences to career and employment, or take the deal you've tacitly entered into.
4
Perhaps he did not commit sexual assault, but quid pro quo sexual harassment is illegal. It seems pretty evident that he committed that crime.
8
@Ben
When coercion is leveraged over someone that renders the “transaction” non-consensual. Coercion is extortion. Extortion is a crime.
7
Moonves sounds like a charming guy. No wonder TV is so bad when we have guys like this running the show.
16
Les can wave goodbye to his $120 million. Quite apart from the fact he's breached his contract and CBS are under no obligation to pay it, they would put themselves in the public pillory if they did. As it is there is probably some legal exposure for them already.
9
It's just avarice and greed. That's what the word "powerful" means in the phrase "rich and powerful". "Powerful" means you can take what isn't yours without consequence. Dignity from women. Huge amounts of cash from corporations. It's been a reliable, consistent attribute of human behavior since recorded history began. The question before us now is; Has civilization progressed enough to thwart this behaviour and punish it's "rich and powerful" perpetrators? (Not rich and not powerful perps would already be in jail.) $120 Million unearned dollars would seem like a good place to start.
37
Hopefully if CBS denies him the severance pay it will set an example for other corporations to follow when their CEOs are found guilty of similar sexual misconduct . Loved the suggestions put forth by one of your readers that the money should go to a group that supports women victims. Or, perhaps the money should be donated to another worthy cause such as scholarships for college or job retraining, even food banks.
63
@Esm
That money should go where it will do the most good.
It should go to scolds. They are certainly first in line.
2
So in a Bizarro Hollywood, the equivalent of the Bizarro entertainment Mt. Rushmore would be David Begelman, Harvey Weinstein and Moonves. I leave it to others to choose the fourth (Lauer and Rose are good candidates). I am amazed that women still speak to men.
56
@Tom thanks for understanding. i'm a woman who is also amazed that i still speak to men.
22
@Tom
Not all men behave like this, Tom. Most probably wouldn't even want to. They aspire to something much, much more noble.
10
@Tom. ....and don't forget to include "America's Dad" Bill Cosby to that Hollywood edition of Mt Rushmore
24
One aspect of this not much reviewed is the unfairness of giving a woman a job, not based on her talent but based on whether or not she gave sexual favors or if she threatened exposure of sexual harassment or assault. It is blatantly unfair to others who have legitimately applied for work. And it has been going on for many decades in the entertainment industry.
30
@kay o. It goes on everywhere. Women, and no doubt men, given jobs based on their appearance, if not for favors or hoped-for favors.
I recommended a bright and very capable friend of mine for a job in a federal agency where I once worked, and she was not hired. My big boss explained to me that she was overweight (she was, but not a lot) and seemed to think I'd understand that was a disqualifier. BTW every woman in that office was attractive both in face and figure. YOour tax dollar at work!
112
@Maryj is correct and guess what, sometimes it's other women who hire and promote the attractive ones. That certainly happened where I worked, where you had the show ponies versus the work horses - an all women department because it was nonprofit development (aka fundraising), which tends to be very female oriented. The women chosen to woo the major donors were always the perfect looking ones.
11
@vmur
I agree with you both. Women can be very unfair and vicious in the workplace. But it's a different issue than buying silence of harassment or assault by giving or mentoring to a job, which is what Moonves is alleged to have done.
As a career coach of many years, I had to advise on how to dress. It's very important that we get back to a professional look. Women cable commentators who wear skimpy sleeveless cocktail dresses and silly long corkscrew curls are not credible to me. And we may remember who was the queen of showing her thighs every morning. This is appealing to---what? We all know. And women are cooperating by dressing this way. They, too, make it harder for professionally dressed women to compete.
A Boston anchorwoman had to resign because she refused to dress this way. And she was an excellent on-air talent. But good for her for not contributing to that toxic environment.
One thing we can do is boycott products on news shows that present skimpily dressed women as "experts." If I run into them by accident, I take note of who the sponsors are.
9
Like all wealthy men who commit crimes against women; instead of being prosecuted and punished,they’re rewarded with tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars. Every one of those dollars comes out of the pockets of the middle and working classes in the form of taxes or consumerism. Moonves is no different than Epstein.
187
Why is he getting a settlement rather than going to jail? What are his victims getting?
252
@S K
It probably has something to do with lack of evidence and inability to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
3
@S K. Rich men get a settlement and working men go to prison? Bill Cosby went to prison.....Moonves does not deserve to walk around freely w/ millions of shareholders $ in his pocket....where is the justice? It's not in the form of a cushy settlement.
29
You think of Cosby as your example of a working man going to prison? Let’s not forget that he was convicted of drugging the women.
21
THE VIEWING PUBLIC Had best consider the power structure of the entertainment industry in choosing its preferences for entertainment generated in part by the sexual exploitation of women, primarily and of men to an extent less reported (as in the case of a retired conductor). It is my belief that media networks revise its contracts with all employees and consultants to include strong language prohibiting sexual exploitation. The idea of having a "girl on call for oral sex" is an arrangement one would expect at a brothel, not in the offices of a top media network. That said, I believe that whether intimacy between consenting adults is ethical, is another question and a slippery slope. While it is appropriate to stop sexual exploitation, consenting adults who are network employees or consultants who wish to develop consensual relationships must have their rights protected also.
12
@John Jones
Your proposal is a death warrant for Hollywood
1
He brought good ratings and advertising revenue to the network, so expect no real punishment.
That's the way it goes.
12
He won’t get the $120,000,000 million dollar severance package, which, while not the jail time he deserves, is some punishment.
15
Not only doesn't Moonves deserve the $120 million severance, CBS should donate the entire amount to the Me-Too Movement or groups that support victimized or battered women. That is a better use of the money by a company that claims its corporate culture is not in line with Moonves' past actions.
266
CBS, and all corporations, ought to go further and only give as high a proportion of "severance" (relative to a year's pay) to executives as to their workers, whether each is employed officially or as a long-term "contractor"; but since that'll never have meaningful impact without a 12:1 CEO:serf ratio limit too, both oughta be a law.
Since the megacorps claim they Can't Attract The Best Talent(tm) without absurd pay packages, there oughta be another law to make them provide evidence they offered the job and its salary publicly, in all poorly-employed regions where they provide goods or service.
Workers in "the projects" and rural areas would kill for a CEO's pay in the US, and the company would have so many qualified non-creepy applicants among them that a Moonves would look as mediocre as he really is.
45
@Michael
That money should go to scolds
1