Julie Chen Defends Her Husband Les Moonves Against Sex Harassment Claims
Julie Chen is doing The Talk of standing by her man. She took to Twitter with a supportive statement after her husband, CBS Chairman and SEO Les Moonves, was accused of disturbing instances of alleged sexual harassment through the years. Writer Ronan Farrow's explosive Friday article in The New Yorker quoted six women—including actress Ileana Douglas-- accusing Moonves of sleazy and sexually aggressive behavior when they tried to work with him.
But Chen, who stars on two big CBS shows, the chatfest The Talk and the controversial reality show Big Brother, took to Twitter on Friday to release a supportive statement.
"“I have known my husband, Leslie Moonves, since the late ‘90s, and I have been married to him for almost 14 years," Chen wrote. "Leslie is a good man and a loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader. He has always been a kind, decent and moral human being. I fully support my husband and stand behind him and his own statement."
Moonves had released his own statement to The New Yorker on Friday, acknowledging the possibility that he made some women uncomfortable with sexual advances but vehemently denying charges of sexual assault.
He wrote, "Throughout my time at CBS, we have promoted a culture of respect and opportunity for all employees, and have consistently found success elevating women to top executive positions across our company. I recognize that there were times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances."
Moonves added, "Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely. But I always understood and respected—and abided by the principle—that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ and I have never misused my position to harm or hinder anyone’s career. This is a time when we all are appropriately focused on how we help improve our society, and we at CBS are committed to being part of the solution."
Six women, some of whom were named, claim that various incidents happened with Moonves between between 1985 and 2006. Also, more than two dozen company employees, past and present, detailed incidents of harassment, gender discrimination or retaliation at CBS, the Farrow report said.
Goodfellas star Douglas said she was working on a sitcom pilot called Queens, in 1997 when Moonves asked to meet with her to be sure they were "creatively aligned." But instead of talking business in his office, Douglas alleged, he asked if she was single and demanded to kiss her!
"In a millisecond, he's got one arm over me, pinning me," she told The New Yorker's Farrow, who earlier exposed Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's alleged sexual misconduct.
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Douglas contended that the CBS titan was "violently kissing" her. Douglas shuddered in the article, "What it feels like to have someone hold you down -- you can't breathe, you can't move. The physicality of it was horrendous."
When she went to leave, Douglas claimed to Farrow that Moonves momentarily blocked her path. "It was physically scary. It was so invasive ... it has stayed with me the rest of my life, that terror."
Ex- The Early Show co-host Chen and Moonves had a scandalous start as they began their romance in 2003, when he was still married to wife Nancy Wiesenfeld Moonves.
Nancy spoke out at the time, charging that the way Chen and Moonves got together wasn't moral.
"I felt that everybody knew about what was going on between Moonves and Chen. And everybody did know. Except me," scorned wife Nancy said. Chen, 48, and much older Moonves, 68, married in Dec. 2004 after his divorce from Nancy was final.
Chen gave to birth their son, Charlie, in 2009. They've enjoyed a lavish lifestyle including a Malibu beach house.
In 2015, Moonves gushed about his wife, "She's unbelievably accessible, very smart, and delivers a great deal of trust, yet you feel like she could be your friend. She's someone you want to hang out with."
Chen herself has said, "I look at my life outside of work and my family is so important."
But now, her husband could be facing a battle for his job at top-rated CBS over the tawdry allegations!
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