Wikipedia

Les Moonves

Leslie Roy Moonves (/ˈmuːnvɛz/; born October 6, 1949)[1] is an American media executive who was the chairman and CEO of CBS Corporation[2][3] from 2003 until his resignation in September 2018 following numerous allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and abuse.[4] He has been married to TV personality Julie Chen since 2004.

Les Moonves
Moonves in 2009
Born (1949-10-06) October 6, 1949 (age 75)
New York City, US
Alma materBucknell University (BA) Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre
OccupationMedia executive
Employers
Spouses
  • Nancy Wiesenfeld
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1978; div. 2004)​
  • ​
    (m. 2004)​
Children4

He held a series of executive positions at CBS from July 1995 to September 2018.[2] He was also on the board of directors at ZeniMax Media from 1999 until 2021.[2][5] Later, he was co-president and co-chief operating officer (COO) of the original Viacom, the legal predecessor to CBS Corporation, from 2004 until the company split in December 2005. He became chairman of CBS in February 2016.[6][7][8] In September 2018, Moonves stepped down as chairman of CBS after multiple women brought forth sexual assault allegations against him. Moonves allegedly destroyed evidence of his sexual misconduct.[9]

According to various media reports, Moonves has amassed a net worth of over US$800 million through compensation from CBS. Moonves earned $68.4 million in 2017, combined with stock options of the media company, worth over $100 million.

Early life

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Leslie Roy Moonves[10] was born in Brooklyn, New York City[1] to a Jewish family,[11][12] the son of Josephine (Schleifer) and Herman Moonves,[13][14] and grew up in Valley Stream, New York. His mother was a nurse.[15] He has one sister, Melissa Moonves Colon, and two brothers, including entertainment attorney Jonathan Moonves.[15] He attended Valley Stream Central High School and went to Bucknell University, graduating in 1971.[16] In his sophomore year, he decided that his science courses were unfulfilling and switched his major from pre-medical to the Spanish language (a subject he found vastly more enjoyable) and acted in a few plays; following graduation in 1971 he moved to Manhattan to pursue an acting career where he eventually graduated from the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He landed a few parts, playing tough guys on Cannon and The Six Million Dollar Man,[17][unreliable source?] which he described as "forgettable" TV roles before deciding on the career change.[18] He also worked as one of casting director Caro Jones' first office assistants early in her career.[19]

Business career

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Moonves was in charge of first-run syndication and pay/cable programming at 20th Century Fox Television. Also at 20th Century Fox Television, he was vice president of movies and mini-series. Other positions included vice president of development at Saul Ilson Productions (in association with Columbia Pictures Television) and development executive for Catalina Productions.[20]

Lorimar Television and Warner Bros. Television (1985–1995)

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Moonves joined Lorimar Television in 1985 as executive in charge of its movies and mini-series, and in 1988, became head of creative affairs. From 1990 to 1993, he was president at Lorimar.[21] In July 1993, he became president/CEO of Warner Bros. Television, when Warner Bros. and Lorimar Television combined operations. In this phase of his career, he green-lighted the shows Friends and ER, among many others.[18]

CBS (1995–2018)

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He joined CBS in July 1995 as President of CBS Entertainment.[22] From April 1998 until 2003, he was president and chief executive officer at CBS, then was promoted to chairman and CEO of CBS in 2003. CBS had six of the ten most-watched primetime shows in the final quarter of 2005: CSI, Without a Trace, CSI: Miami, Survivor: Guatemala, NCIS, and Cold Case.[18]

In February 2005, Moonves was identified as the executive directly responsible for ordering the cancellation of UPN's Star Trek: Enterprise and the ending of the 18-year revival of the Star Trek television franchise.[23] In January 2006, Moonves helped make the deal that brought together the CBS-owned United Paramount Network (UPN) with The WB Television Network to form The CW Television Network that fall.

Moonves was the second most highly-paid executive for 2012 and 2013: he received $58.8 million[24] and $65.4 million.[25] He is considered the second-highest paid CEO, having been paid $68.4 million in 2017.[26]

In 2013, Moonves was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.[27] He became chairman of CBS in February 2016.[6][7][8]

Of the tone of the 2016 Republican presidential campaign, and the advertising dollars it delivered, Moonves said, "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS ... Man, who would have expected the ride we're all having right now? ... The money's rolling in and this is fun ... I've never seen anything like this, and this [is] going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It's a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going."[28] He added, "Donald's place in this election is a good thing."[29]

Moonves was also open to acquiring smaller film production companies to expand the company's CBS Films division.[30] At the end of July 2017, Moonves was a part of a first-look television production deal between CBS and Imagine Entertainment, a feature film, television programming and documentary production company run by filmmaker Ron Howard and film producer Brian Grazer.[31]

In September 2018, following allegations of sexual assault, it was reported that CBS was negotiating a $100 million exit package for Moonves and that CBS Chief Operating Officer Joe Ianniello would be his interim replacement.[32] On September 9, 2018, CBS Corporation announced he had resigned and Joe Iannello would become interim CEO.[33] Moonves and CBS will donate $20 million to the #MeToo movement, money that will be deducted from any severance benefits Moonves may be owed, the company said. The donation to charities promoting women's equality in the workplace would come upon the conclusion of an independent investigation into the allegations, according to the statement.[34] In May 2021, Moonves dropped his claim for $120 million in severance pay, which reverted to ViacomCBS (the result of the 2019 merger of CBS Corporation and the second Viacom, later Paramount Global in 2022), and law firm Covington & Burling paid an undisclosed settlement fee to Moonves.[35]

Janet Jackson

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Following his firing from CBS due to sexual harassment, Moonves was revealed to have been obsessed with ruining R&B singer-songwriter Janet Jackson's career. His actions had followed the February 1, 2004, Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, also known as Nipplegate. Jackson's right breast, adorned with a pierced nipple shield (with a silver sun), had been exposed by ex-NSYNC member, vocalist Justin Timberlake, for 9/16ths of a second.[36]

The brief exposure became, what was at the time, the most rewatched moment in the history of TiVo.[37]

According to the documentary Malfunction: The Dressing Down of Janet Jackson, Moonves wanted an apology from both Jackson and Timberlake. Moonves deemed Jackson's apology as "insufficient" and implemented a blacklist of her music and music videos on MTV, VH1 and Infinity Broadcasting radio stations, all of which were owned by the original incarnation of Viacom at the time. MTV also had produced the halftime show, and it was permanently disallowed from producing future halftime shows as a consequence.[38] Jackson had been scheduled to attend the 46th Annual Grammy Awards where she was to perform a tribute to Luther Vandross, after collaborating with him on the #1 single "The Best Things in Life Are Free", which was created for the soundtrack to the 1992 film Mo' Money. She, along with Timberlake, however, were disinvited from attending[39] unless they released on-air apologies for the "Nipplegate" incident.[40] Only Timberlake went to the ceremony after having approached Moonves in person at CBS' Los Angeles offices,[41] where he tearfully apologized to him.[42] The Vandross tribute was instead performed by Celine Dion, Alicia Keys and Richard Marx.[43] CBS was fined $27,500 for the incident.[44] In June 2006, that amount later was later increased to $325,000 by the Federal Communications Commission.[45]) Moonves allegedly asked fellow CBS executives if the corporation could compel Jackson to pay the FCC fines following the investigation of the halftime show incident by Congress.[38]

Moonves' anger at Jackson over the occurrence continued well into 2011, when Jackson signed a book deal with publisher Simon & Schuster, owned by CBS Corporation, for the self-help book True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself. "How the f*** did she slip through?," he reportedly inquired. Moonves also said, according to one source, that "...heads were going to roll," as a result of the settlement to which Jackson had agreed.[36]

Howard Stern litigation

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In February 2006, Moonves led CBS to file a $500 million lawsuit against Howard Stern for allegedly breaching his contract by failing to disclose the details of his deal with Sirius Satellite Radio while still employed by Infinity Broadcasting. Stern vowed to fight the suit, and said on his radio program that Moonves and CBS were trying to "bully" him and his agent, Don Buchwald. Stern later appeared on CBS' own Late Show with David Letterman, wearing a shirt mocking Moonves and his wife. In June 2006, Stern announced that the lawsuit had been settled. As part of the settlement, Sirius acquired the exclusive rights to all of the WXRK tapes (over two decades' worth of shows) for $2 million.[46]

ZeniMax Media

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Moonves was on the board of ZeniMax Media from its foundation in 1999 until 2021,[5] alongside his friend and ZeniMax president Ernest Del.[47] Moonves' personal investment[48] in the company has been noted, as well as his appearances at several launch parties, including for Bethesda Softworks' Fallout 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Rage.[49]

Sexual assault allegations

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See also: Weinstein effect

Moonves voiced support for the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment in the workplace,[50][51] even describing it as a "watershed moment" during a November 2017 press conference,[52] and was a founding member of the Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace, formed in late 2017 to "tackle the broad culture of abuse and power disparity".[53][54] In January 2018, CBS Cares released public service announcements concerning how to combat sexual harassment.[55][56][57]

In July 2018, The New Yorker published an article by Ronan Farrow saying that six women accused Moonves of harassment and intimidation, and dozens have described abuse at CBS.[58] Moonves was subsequently placed under investigation by the CBS board.[59] In August 2018, Bucknell University removed references to Moonves on its website, and University of Southern California suspended Moonves' name from its Media Center.[60] In September 2018, The New Yorker reported that six more women (in addition to the six original women reported in July) had raised accusations against Moonves, going back to the 1980s.[61] Shortly after resigning as CEO of CBS that month, Moonves released a statement denying all of the sexual misconduct allegations.[62]

In November 2018, The New York Times published an article in which actress Bobbie Phillips alleges that Moonves sexually assaulted her during the mid-1990s, and was attempting to bury the allegations.[63] The next month, it was revealed Moonves had been involved in paying a $9.5 million settlement to actress Eliza Dushku, who claimed she was written out of her starring role on CBS drama Bull as retaliation for reporting sexual harassment by co-star Michael Weatherly; actress Cybill Shepherd alleged in a radio interview that Moonves cancelled her sitcom, Cybill, after she rejected his advances.[64][65]

On December 18, 2018, CBS announced that the board would deny Moonves his $120 million severance pay, as their investigation had found Moonves violated his contract. According to investigators, claims made by the women were credible and led to more claims that were found to be credible during the course of the investigation. In addition, it was claimed that Moonves attempted to interfere with the investigation. Allegations of examples include Moonves refusing to cooperate with investigators, acting "evasive and untruthful" towards investigators, deleting hundreds of messages, and passing off his son's iPad as his own to investigators.[64][66][67][68][69]

On June 21, 2019, advice columnist E. Jean Carroll wrote in a first-person essay in New York that Moonves sexually assaulted her in an elevator in the mid-1990s after she interviewed him for a story. Moonves denied the allegation.[70]

On May 14, 2021, CBS and Moonves agreed to settle their disputes over the latter's $120 million severance. A joint statement from Moonves and CBS explained that the $120 million would "revert" to CBS, that the cost of the settlement would be borne by CBS' law firm, and that Moonves would contribute the settlement money to various charities.[71]

Moon Rise Unlimited

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On February 8, 2019, The New York Times reported that Moonves had founded his own company in West Hollywood, California named Moon Rise Unlimited after being fired from CBS.[72]

Public appearances

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On April 7, 2003, Moonves portrayed himself in an episode of The Practice. From early 2004 until its end in May 2015, Moonves made regular appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman. One of these came when Letterman declared outrage that CBS featured his late-night competitor Jay Leno in an ad for CBS's telecast of the People's Choice Awards. Letterman jokingly warned the "CBS stooge in the control room" to call his buddies "before things turn ugly"; Moonves obliged. Later appearances took the same format, with Letterman discussing current events and the CBS network with the company's CEO.

On the March 23, 2015, premiere episode of The Late Late Show with James Corden, Moonves portrayed himself as the head of CBS who sends out a golden ticket granting whoever finds it a chance to host The Late Late Show, in an homage to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Moonves also appeared on the September 8, 2015, premiere of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, operating a large switch he could use to switch back to reruns of The Mentalist if he was unhappy with the new program.[73]

Personal life

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Moonves with his wife Julie Chen at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

Moonves is a grand-nephew of Paula Ben-Gurion, born Paula Munweis, wife of David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel.[74][75]

In 1978, Moonves married Nancy Wiesenfeld, with whom he has three children[76][77] including W magazine editor in chief Sara Moonves.[78] In April 2003, Nancy Moonves filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences. Nancy and Les Moonves were already living apart.[79]

While still married to Nancy, Moonves began dating Julie Chen, CBS' The Early Show reporter and host of the reality series Big Brother and The Talk.[80] On December 10, 2004, Moonves got a court to grant an early divorce,[81] on a motion citing a "desire to return to the status of being single". Thirteen days later in Mexico, he married Chen.[80] In 2009, Chen gave birth to a son.[82]

Moonves resides in Beverly Hills, California, in a house he bought from Andy Heyward.[83] He also owns residences in Malibu, California and New York City.[84]

Moonves practices Transcendental Meditation, and has said, "It puts me in a calm state, which I'm not always in."[85]

Philanthropy

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In 2015, Moonves and Chen made a major donation to University of Southern California, resulting in a media center being named the Julie Chen/Leslie Moonves and CBS Media Center. Moonves was already a USC School of Cinematic Arts' board of councilors member.[86] Previously Moonves was a University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism board member.[87]

In August 2018, Moonves was "suspended" from the USC School of Cinematic Arts' board of councilors in the wake of sex abuse allegations.[88]

In September 2018, at the same time Moonves resigned, CBS announced that Moonves and the network would be donating $20 million to #MeToo-related organizations.[89][90]

See also

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  • Joseph Ianniello, former acting CEO at CBS
  • Jim Lanzone, President and CEO of CBS Interactive
  • Martha Minow, law professor and CBS board member
  • Shari Redstone, vice-chairwoman of CBS and member of Redstone family which owns the majority share of CBS
  • Sumner Redstone (1923–2020), former executive chairman of CBS and member of Redstone family which owns the majority share of CBS

References

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  1. ^ a b "Les Moonves: Business Leader (1949–)". Biography.com. A&E Networks. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Biography from CBS Corporation website". Archived from the original on May 16, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Leslie Moonves Interview". Archive of American Television. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  4. ^ McCarthy, Tyler (September 9, 2018). "CBS chief Les Moonves steps down amid sexual misconduct allegations". Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Makuch, Eddie (March 17, 2021). "ZeniMax Board Of Directors Dissolved After Xbox's Bethesda Purchase". GameSpot. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Steinberg, Brian (February 3, 2016). "Leslie Moonves Named CBS Chairman, Replacing Sumner Redstone". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Sumner Redstone resigns as CBS executive chairman, replaced by Leslie Moonves". Los Angeles Times. February 3, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Sumner Redstone Steps Down as CBS Chairman, Replaced by Leslie Moonves". The New York Times. February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  9. ^ "Les Moonves: New allegation follows report saying ex-CBS boss destroyed evidence". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  10. ^ "CBS CEO Les Moonves Walks Out After A Settlement Agreement". Valuewalk.com. September 12, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Leonard, Devin (April 10, 2006). "Leslie Moonves's Role of a Lifetime. The former actor excels at spotting talent and picking shows. Now he has to sell Wall Street on CBS stock". CNN Money. Moonves joked afterward, 'You know, this is my tenth time playing Carnegie Hall. I believe that is a new record for a Jew without an instrument.'
  12. ^ Solomon, Lawrence (November 30, 2012). "Lawrence Solomon: The Jewish press and Israel". Financial Post.
  13. ^ "Biography". Scribd.
  14. ^ Brook, Vincent. From Shtetl to Stardom: Jews and Hollywood: Chapter 1: Still an Empire of Their Own: How Jews Remain Atop a Reinvented Hollywood. West Lafeyette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 15.
  15. ^ a b Barnes, Mike (July 18, 2016). "Josephine Moonves, Mother of CBS' Leslie Moonves, Dies at 92". The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. ^ Leslie Moonves '71 to Receive Honorary Degree at Commencement from the Bucknell University website
  17. ^ Les Moonves at IMDb
  18. ^ a b c Leslie Moonves's Role of a Lifetime Money via CNN.com. Retrieved April 10, 2006.
  19. ^ Barnes, Mike (September 10, 2009). "Casting director Caro Jones dies". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 18, 2009. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  20. ^ "Biography from CBS Corporation website". Archived from the original on February 26, 2008.
  21. ^ Lippman, John (October 11, 1990). "Moonves Takes Over Helm of Lorimar". Los Angeles Times.
  22. ^ Carter, Bill (August 18, 1998). "CBS Fills President's Post At Entertainment Division". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2012. CBS named Nancy Tellem president of the network's entertainment division yesterday, the position vacated in April by her longtime associate, Leslie Moonves, who is now the chief executive of CBS Television.
  23. ^ "UPN Cancels 'Star Trek: Enterprise'". Trektoday.com. February 2, 2005. Retrieved November 21, 2007.
  24. ^ Prisma Media (May 16, 2013). "Les grands patrons de mieux en mieux payés aux Etats-Unis". Capital.fr.
  25. ^ "CEO Compensation Histogram Chart — Business Insider". Business Insider. May 28, 2014.
  26. ^ "CBS investigating sexual misconduct claims against CEO Les Moonves". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Associated Press. July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2018. Moonves was the No. 2 highest paid CEO of a major public company in 2017, according to an analysis by The Associated Press and Equilar, an executive data firm. He made $68.4 million US last year
  27. ^ "Television Hall of Fame Honorees: Complete List".
  28. ^ Collins, Eliza (February 29, 2016). "Les Moonves: Trump's run is 'damn good for CBS'". Politico. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  29. ^ Bond, Paul (February 29, 2016). "Leslie Moonves on Donald Trump: "It May Not Be Good for America, but It's Damn Good for CBS"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 17, 2016. he likes the ad money Trump and his competitors are bringing to the network. "It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS," he said of the presidential race.
  30. ^ "CBS CEO: Company's Open to Acquiring Small Film Production Companies (MESA)". September 16, 2016.
  31. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 31, 2017). "Imagine Enters Co-Financing First-Look Deal With CBS Corp. For TV Programming". Deadline. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  32. ^ Faber, David (September 6, 2018). "CBS board offering CEO Moonves $100 million in stock as exit package: Sources". CNBC. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  33. ^ "Leslie Moonves departs as chief of CBS, financial package to be withheld pending investigation". CBS News. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  34. ^ "Les Moonves Leaves CBS, Will Make $20 Million Donation To Me Too Movement". September 9, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  35. ^ Sherman, Alex (May 14, 2021). "Former CBS CEO Les Moonves drops legal pursuit to get $120 million in severance pay". CNBC.
  36. ^ a b Ali, Yashar (November 6, 2018). "Exclusive: Les Moonves Was Obsessed With Ruining Janet Jackson's Career, Sources Say". The Huffington Post. Event occurs at 10:08pm EDT. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  37. ^ "CNN". February 3, 2004. Archived from the original on January 25, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  38. ^ a b White, Abbey (November 20, 2021). "Janet Jackson Doc 'Malfunction' Explores Blacklisting Claims, Les Moonves Involvement in Super Bowl Controversy". Billboard.com.
  39. ^ Kaplan, Don. "DUO CAUGHT IN BOOBY TRAP – JUSTIN AND JANET FACE GRAMMY BAN". NYPost. Retrieved February 3, 2004.
  40. ^ "Timberlake apologizes for revealing Super Bowl". CNN. Retrieved February 8, 2004.
  41. ^ Covington, Abigail (November 20, 2021). ""Malfunction" Reveals New Information about Janet Jackson's Infamous Superbowl Halftime Performance". Esquire. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  42. ^ Paul, Pritha (September 7, 2018). "Les Moonves Boycotted Janet Jackson After 2004 Super Bowl Wardrobe Malfunction". International Business Times.
  43. ^ Aquilante, Dan. "GRAMMYS HIT ALL THE WRONG NOTES". NYPost. Retrieved February 9, 2004.
  44. ^ "CBS hit with $550K Super Bowl fine". CNN Money. September 22, 2004. Event occurs at 2:35PM EDT.
  45. ^ "Broadcast Indecency Fines Increased by the Federal Communications Comm". cbsnews.com. June 7, 2006. Event occurs at 7:26PM. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  46. ^ "Stern Gets Old Tapes, CBS Gets $2M". CBS News. May 25, 2006. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  47. ^ Sterngold, James (September 24, 1998). "Kick-Starting (Kapow!) a TV Series; CBS Broke All the Rules to Fling an Action Show at Young Men". The New York Times.
  48. ^ Takahashi, Dean (May 30, 2008). "ZeniMax Media raises $9.9 million from some big names". Venture Beat.
  49. ^ "Leslie Moonves Pictures — "Rage" Video Game Launch". Zimbio.
  50. ^ Deerwester, Jayme; Mandell, Andrea (July 27, 2018). "Leslie Moonves accused of sexually harassing six women in New Yorker piece". USA Today. Retrieved July 28, 2018. A public proponent of the #MeToo movement, Moonves
  51. ^ Lutz, Eric (July 28, 2018). "CBS exec Les Moonves accused of sexual misconduct in latest Ronan Farrow bombshell". Mic. Retrieved July 28, 2018. Moonves has also been a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement
  52. ^ "Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct". July 27, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  53. ^ Wattles, Jackie (December 16, 2017). "Hollywood execs name Anita Hill to lead anti-harassment effort". CNNMoney. Cable News Network. Retrieved July 30, 2018. Among the list of the commission's members are:... -- Les Moonves, chairman/CEO of CBS Corp
  54. ^ Buckley, Cara (December 15, 2017). "Anita Hill to Lead Hollywood Commission on Sexual Harassment". The New York Times. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  55. ^ "Watch CBS Cares: #ThatsHarassment: The Boss - Full show on CBS All Access". CBS.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  56. ^ "CBS Cares - Recognizing Sexual Harassment". msn.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  57. ^ "Watch CBS Cares: #ThatsHarassment: The Coworker - Full show on CBS All Access". CBS.com. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  58. ^ Farrow, Ronan (August 6, 2018). "Les Moonves and CBS Face Allegations of Sexual Misconduct". The New Yorker. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  59. ^ Flint, Joe; Hagey, Keach (July 28, 2018). "CBS to Investigate Allegations of Sexual Harassment Against CEO Moonves". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  60. ^ "USC Annenberg suspends use of Les Moonves' name on media center". CBS News. The Associated Press. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Moonves' alma mater, Bucknell University, has also removed some references to him from its website.
  61. ^ Farrow, Ronan. "As Leslie Moonves Negotiates His Exit from CBS, Women Raise New Assault and Harassment Claims". The New Yorker. Retrieved September 9, 2018. Six additional women are now accusing Moonves of sexual harassment or assault in incidents that took place between the nineteen-eighties and the early aughts. They include claims that Moonves forced them to perform oral sex on him, that he exposed himself to them without their consent, and that he used physical violence and intimidation against them. A number of the women also said that Moonves retaliated after they rebuffed him, damaging their careers.
  62. ^ "The Latest: CBS' Leslie Moonves denies wrongdoing". Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  63. ^ "'If Bobbie Talks, I'm Finished': How Les Moonves Tried to Silence an Accuser". Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  64. ^ a b Zinski, Dan (December 18, 2018). "CBS CEO Les Moonves Fired 'For Cause', Won't Get $120 Million Severance". Screen Rant. Valnet, Inc. Retrieved December 27, 2018. Later, it was revealed that Moonves was also involved in paying a settlement to actress Eliza Dushku after she made accusations of sexual misconduct while working on the CBS series Bull.
  65. ^ Burke, Minyvonne (December 13, 2018). "Cybill Shepherd says Les Moonves had her CBS show canceled after she rebuffed his advances". NBCNews.com. NBCUniversal. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  66. ^ Izadi, Elahe; Andrews, Travis M. (December 17, 2018). "Former CBS chairman Les Moonves fired for cause, will not receive severance in wake of sexual misconduct allegations". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  67. ^ Punete, Maria (December 17, 2018). "CBS: Ex-CEO Les Moonves will be denied $120 million severance package". USA Today. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  68. ^ Lee, Edmund; Abrams, Rachel (December 17, 2018). "CBS Says Les Moonves Will Not Receive $120 Million Severance". The New York Times. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  69. ^ Stelter, Brian (December 17, 2018). "Ex-CBS chief Les Moonves will not get $120 million severance". CNN Business. CNN. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  70. ^ Carroll, E. Jean (June 21, 2019). "Donald Trump Assaulted Me, But He's Not Alone on My List of Hideous Men". The Cut. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  71. ^ Patten, Dominic (May 14, 2021). "Les Moonves Finally Strikes Deal With ViacomCBS Over Exit; Donating Big Bucks Settlement To Charity". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  72. ^ Gelles, David; Abrams, Rachel; Lee, Edmund (February 8, 2019). "Les Moonves, Fired by CBS, Sets Up Shop in Hollywood". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  73. ^ Worland, Justin (September 9, 2015). "Watch Stephen Colbert Joke With CEO of CBS About Canceling His Show". Time.com. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
  74. ^ "Throng Thrills to Thomashefsky's Titillating Tales".
  75. ^ JSpace: "All in the Family: Les Moonves is Grandnephew of Ben Gurion Archived April 11, 2013, at archive.today October 6, 2011
  76. ^ Rush, George; Molloy, Joanna. "Moonves' marriage may get an airing". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2003. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  77. ^ Interfaith Family: "Interfaith Celebrities: The Talk's Hosts and David Schwimmers Bride" By Nate Bloom. October 26, 2010 |"Moonves, who is Jewish, began an affair with Chen while still married to his first (Jewish) wife, who is the mother of his three older children"
  78. ^ Horgan, Richard (July 20, 2017). "Les Moonves' Daughter Sara Is Headed to W Magazine". AdWeek. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
  79. ^ "Moonves' Marriage May Get An Airing". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
  80. ^ a b "'Big Brother' host Julie Chen marries CBS president Les Moonves". Realitytvworld.com. December 29, 2004. Retrieved November 21, 2007.
  81. ^ "Moonves: "I Want To Get On With My Life"". The Smoking Gun. October 29, 2019.
  82. ^ "It's a Boy for Julie Chen". CBS News. September 24, 2009.
  83. ^ "Los Angeles real estate news, data and statistics, home sales and real estate listings — Los Angeles". blockshopper.com.
  84. ^ David, Mark (April 14, 2014). "CBS President Les Moonves Lists Malibu Starter House". Variety.
  85. ^ Battaglio, Stephen (February 24, 2016). "How Leslie Moonves continues to guide CBS to the top of the TV industry". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 17, 2016. Moonves cools down by practicing Transcendental Meditation several times a week. ... 'I do it right before I go to sleep,' he said. 'It puts me in a calm state, which I'm not always in.'
  86. ^ Lowry, Brian (February 25, 2015). "USC Media Center Named For CBS' Leslie Moonves, Julie Chen". Variety. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Moonves attended Bucknell University and is a member of the USC School of Cinematic Arts' Board of Councilors.
  87. ^ "USC Annenberg Media Center Named for Julie Chen, Leslie Moonves". Philanthropy News Digest. March 2, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2018. Moonves is a member of the USC School of Cinematic Arts' board and a past member of the USC Annenberg board.
  88. ^ Bitran, Tara (August 1, 2018). "USC School of Cinematic Arts Suspends Leslie Moonves From Board". variety.com. Retrieved September 7, 2018.
  89. ^ "Les Moonves resigns from CBS after sexual misconduct allegations". BBC News. September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018. CBS said the company and Mr Moonves would donate $20m (£15.4m) to groups supporting the #MeToo movement.
  90. ^ McCarthy, Tom (September 10, 2018). "Les Moonves resigns from CBS after six more women accuse him of sexual harassment". The Guardian. Retrieved September 10, 2018. Moonves and CBS will donate $20m to one or more organisations that support the #MeToo movement and equality for women in the workplace. This donation will be deducted from any severance benefits that may be due Moonves following the investigation.

Further reading

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  • Stewart, James B.; Rachel Abrams (2023). Unscripted: The Epic Battle for a Media Empire and the Redstone Family Legacy. New York: Penguin Press. ISBN 9781984879424. OCLC 1365390478.
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Business positions
Preceded by
Peter Tortorici
 President of CBS
1995–1998 		Succeeded by
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