Rick Najera
Rick Najera, director of CBS Diversity Sketch Comedy Showcase, left CBS amidst allegations of sexual harassment Thursday, according to Variety.
CBS' statement to Variety said that the network first became aware of "inappropriate comments made during the production of the Diversity Comedy Showcase" in March 2017.
CBS said "remedial action was taken" after they were made aware of the inappropriate comments, which the network deemed to be "appropriate to the matter."
However, new information emerged recently, prompting CBS to investigate Najera's behavior once more, which resulted in Najera's resignation.
A source told Variety that two new complaints were reported to CBS last week. One performer reportedly said Najera told them he was in an open relationship with his wife and insinuated that he was interested in having a relationship, in 2009. And another performer reportedly said Najera made inappropriate remarks to them in 2014.
Actress Rachel Bloom had heard about Najera's alleged behavior at the Showcase and sent an email asking the Showcase participants to come forward, which Bloom confirmed to Variety.
Najera has yet to comment on his recent termination.
Rick Najera did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Ken Baker
Two women have come forward alleging that E! News correspondent Ken Baker sexually harassed them, according to a report from The Wrap.
A former E! News employee said that, in 2012, Baker invited her into his office and asked her to sit on his lap.
A former E! News intern said that in 2011 the E! News correspondent kissed her without her consent, and continued to solicit her for sex over the course of a few years. The former intern also said that in 2015 she received a text from Baker saying that he wanted to give her “a Tiffany d---o with ‘Ken Baker’ engraved on the shaft.”
In a statement to The Wrap, Baker said he is "very disturbed by these anonymous allegations" and that they make his "heart ache."
“I care deeply for people’s feelings and sincerely live in a way that treats people with dignity and respect,” Baker said.
Ken Baker did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Mark Halperin
Five women have alleged that NBC News Analyst and "Morning Joe" regular Mark Halperin sexually harassed them during his time at ABC News, according to a CNN report published Thursday.
Four out of the five women told CNN that they had worked with Halperin in some capacity while he was at ABC News.
One woman told CNN that she had been invited to meet with Halperin in the early 2000s — when he was the political director at ABC News — and that he had forcibly kissed her, pressed his genitals against her, and grabbed her breasts.
"I went up to have a soda and talk and — he just kissed me and grabbed my boobs," the woman recalled. "I just froze. I didn't know what to do."
The other women who spoke to CNN described similar accounts where Halperin had pressed his body and genitals against them without their consent. Three of the women who spoke to CNN said they felt Halperin had propositioned them for sex, by inviting them back to his hotel room, or in one case inviting them into a bathroom with him.
In a statement to CNN, Halperin admitted that he "did pursue relationships with women" that he worked with including some that were "junior" to him. But Halperin denied pressing his genitals against any of the women, and grabbing a woman's breasts.
"I now understand from these accounts that my behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain. For that, I am deeply sorry and I apologize," Halperin said. "Under the circumstances, I'm going to take a step back from my day-to-day work while I properly deal with this situation."
MSNBC said that they found the "allegations very troubling," in a statement to CNN.
"Mark Halperin is leaving his role as a contributor until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood," the statement said.
"Mark left ABC News over a decade ago, and no complaints were filed during his tenure," ABC News said in a statement to CNN.
Gianni Versace
Actor Kevin Sorbo accused Gianni Versace of sexually assaulting him, during an interview on The Adam Carolla Show Tuesday.
Sorbo said that while working as a model in the 90s, Versace invited him to dinner parties, and one time when they were alone, the designer told Sorbo he was interested in using him in one of his campaigns. Sorbo then alleged that Versace put his hand up his leg.
Sorbo said he told Versace he wasn't interested.
The actor claimed Versace responded by saying, “In life, you must f--k everything. You must do the dog, and the cat, and the boy, and the girl.”
Sorbo later told The Hollywood Reporter that he had remained friends with Versace over the years — but never ended up in any of his campaigns.
The designer passed away in 1997.
George H.W. Bush
Actress Heather Lind alleged that former president George H.W. Bush "sexually assaulted" her, in a lengthy Instagram post, which has since been deleted.
A spokesperson for the former president said in a statement to the Daily Mail: "President Bush would never - under any circumstance - intentionally cause anyone distress, and he most sincerely apologizes if his attempt at humor offended Ms. Lind."
Actress Jordana Grolnick shared a similar story to Lind's with Deadspin Wednesday, alleging that she had also been groped by the former president.
According to Grolnick, in 2016 she was performing in the play "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and Bush came backstage after the performance to take a photo with the cast.
“We all circled around him and Barbara for a photo, and I was right next to him,” Grolnick said. “He reached his right hand around to my behind, and as we smiled for the photo he asked the group, ‘Do you want to know who my favorite magician is?’ As I felt his hand dig into my flesh, he said, ‘David Cop-a-Feel!’”
In a statement to Deadspin, Bush's spokesperson Jim McGrath, said that, “President Bush has been confined to a wheelchair for roughly five years, so his arm falls on the lower waist of people with whom he takes pictures."
McGrath also apologized on behalf of the former president, and said that "the president routinely tells the same joke — and on occasion, he has patted women’s rears in what he intended to be a good-natured manner."
"Some have seen it as innocent; others clearly view it as inappropriate," McGrath said.
Author Christina Baker Kline also alleged that the former president groped her during a photo op in 2014, in an article published on Slate Thursday.
Kline said she had been invited to a Barbara Bush Foundation Family Literacy fundraiser, and when she and two other male writers were gathering to take a photo with Bush, he pulled her aside.
Kline recalled Bush asking her, “You wanna know my favorite book?” and responded “David Cop-a-feel.”
According to Kline, he "squeezed my butt, hard, just as the photographer snapped the photo."
The author also recalled being asked to be "discreet" when recounting what happened to her husband while leaving the fundraiser in a car driven by a friend of the Bush family.
Bush spokesman Jim McGrath responded to Kline's allegations with the same statement he sent to Deadspin, according to Vulture.
Twiggy Ramirez
Marilyn Manson's bassist Twiggy Ramirez was accused by his former girlfriend and Jack Off Jill singer Jessicka Addams of sexually and physically abusing her, in a Facebook post.
In her post, Addams alleged that Ramirez punched and raped her while they were in a relationship in the early 90s.
Marilyn Manson announced he "decided to part ways with Jeordie White" (Ramirez's legal name) Tuesday.
Ramirez responded to Addams' allegations in a statement Wednesday night, saying that he does not "condone non-consensual sex of any kind," according to Rolling Stone.
"I will be taking some time to spend with my family and focus on maintaining my several years of sobriety," Ramirez said. "If I have caused anyone pain I apologize and truly regret it."
I have decided to part ways with Jeordie White as a member of Marilyn Manson. He will be replaced for the upcoming tour. I wish him well.
— Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) October 25, 2017
Ethan Kath
Alice Glass shared an emotional post on her website Tuesday, which said that she had endured “almost a decade of abuse, manipulation and psychological control,” that began when she was 15, from former Crystal Castles bandmate Ethan Kath.
"Over a period of many months, he gave me drugs and alcohol and had sex with me in an abandoned room at an apartment he managed,” she wrote. “It wasn’t always consensual and he remained sober whenever we were together.”
Glass left Crystal Castles in 2014, and was replaced by Edith Frances.
“I am outraged and hurt by the recent statements made by Alice about me and our prior relationship,” Kath said in a statement to Pitchfork. “Her story is pure fiction and I am consulting my lawyers as to my legal options. Fortunately, there are many witnesses who can and will confirm that I was never abusive to Alice.”
Kath confirmed his statement to Business Insider, and sent a screenshot of an Instagram message he claimed was from Glass' sister to a "fan," saying that she does not believe Glass' allegations. The same screenshots allegedly from Glass' sister are also on the Castle Gray Skull Tumblr.
Alice Glass did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
R. Kelly
R. Kelly's former girlfriend Kitti Jones alleged that the rapper physically abused her and forced her to have sex with other women from 2011 to 2013, in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Jones had also been a part of a story published by Buzzfeed in July that alleged that the rapper had formed an abusive "cult" of six women.
A representative of R. Kelly released a statement to Rolling Stone denying Jones' claims.
"It is unfortunate that Ms. Jones, after public statements to the contrary, is now attempting to portray a relationship history with Mr. Kelly as anything other than consensual involvement between two adults," the statement said. "As stated previously, Mr. Kelly does not control the decision-making or force the actions of any other human being, including Ms. Jones, by her own admission."
R. Kelly did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Roman Polanski
Marianne Barnard accused Roman Polanksi of molesting her in 1975, when she was just 10 years old, on Monday.
Barnard tweeted, “#RomanPolanski took photos of me naked & in fur coat on beach in Malibu, I was 10 yrs old. He went on from there. This ends now #ROSEARMY.”
In an interview with The Sun, Barnard described her alleged encounter with the director and why she decided to come forward with her story now.
“I felt terribly conflicted that I have been silent all this time and all these women are bravely coming forward and I thought to myself I can’t in good conscience knowing what I know — and having gone through what I’ve gone through — not speak out," Barnard said.
Barnard has since made an official report of the alleged incident with the LAPD and is currently petitioning to remove the director from the Motion Picture Academy, according to The Sun.
Polanski pleaded guilty to statutory rape charges in 1977, but fled the United States upon realizing his plea bargain was not going to be accepted. Polanski has remained in Europe, and has not returned to the United States since then.
Polanski's agent Jeff Berg sent a brief statement to Business Insider on behalf of the director: "I entirely reject the unfounded allegations of Mme. Barnard, of whom I have no knowledge."
David Blaine
David Blaine's ex-girlfriend, model Natasha Prince, accused the magician of raping her, in an interview with The Daily Beast. Prince said that in 2004 she was raped by Blaine in London.
Scotland Yard is currently investigating Prince's allegations, according to a statement it released to The Daily Beast.
Blaine’s attorney Marty Singer released a statement to The Daily Beast denying Prince's claims.
“My client vehemently denies that he raped or sexually assaulted any woman, ever, and he specifically denies raping a woman in 2004,” Singer said.
Singer also followed up with an additional statement saying, “If, in fact, there is any police investigation, my client will fully cooperate because he has nothing to hide.”
David Blaine did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Chris Savino
Over a dozen women alleged that Chris Savino, creator of the animated series "Loud House," had sexually harassed them, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Nickelodeon decided to fire Savino as the news broke.
Savino posted a public apology on Facebook Monday.
A representative of Chris Savino's declined Business Insider's request to comment.
Robert Scoble
Former Microsoft employee and prominent tech figure Robert Scoble has been accused by three different women of sexual and verbal harassment between 2009 and 2014.
Michelle Greer first told Buzzfeed that, when working with Scoble at Rackspace, he touched her inappropriately at the hacker conference Foo Camp in 2010.
"And then, without any more warning, Scoble was on me. I felt one hand on my breast and his arm reaching around and grabbing my butt," Greer told BuzzFeed.
Journalist Quinn Norton described a similar experience with Scoble at Foo Camp in a Medium post. Norton claimed Scoble grabbed her "butt" and her breast while at Foo Camp in "the early 2010s."
Sarah Kunst also tweeted that she had reported Scoble's "bad behavior years ago."
Scoble released a statement denying all sexual harassment allegations against him on his personal website Wednesday.
"If I were guilty of all the things said about me I would still not be in a position to have sexually harassed anyone," Scoble said. "I don’t have employees, I don’t cut checks for investment. None of the women who came forward were ever in a position where I could make or break their careers. Sexual harassment requires that I have such power."
Business Insider has reached out to Scoble for an on-the-record comment multiple times since the news of the allegations first broke.
Lockhart Steele
Former Vox employee Eden Rohatensky alleged in a Medium post that a VP at a company she had worked for had sexually harassed her.
Vox CEO Jim Bankoff later confirmed that Lockhart Steele was the VP Rohatensky was referring to in her post, as reported by The Awl.
Steele was fired from Vox, and has yet to address his termination.
Lockhart Steele did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
James Toback
Director James Toback has been accused by over 200 women of sexual harassment or assault, according to a report in The Los Angeles Times.
Toback would allegedly invite women to have interviews or auditions with him, and would then either dry hump them or masturbate in front of them without their consent.
Julianne Moore tweeted that Toback asked her to "audition" for him in the 80s, but that she turned him down on two separate occassions.
Toback has yet to respond to these specific allegations, but he spoke to a Rolling Stone reporter on the record before the Los Angeles Times story came out, calling some of the allegations the Rolling Stone reporter had heard "idiotic."
Business Insider reached out to Toback's former agent in an attempt to get a more recent comment from the director, but has yet to hear back.
@GlennWhipp 2. I refused. One month later he did it again with the EXACT same language. I said don't u remember u did this before?
— Julianne Moore (@_juliannemoore) October 24, 2017
John Besh
One of John Besh's former employees, who had a sexual relationship with the celebrity chef, said that he once "continued to attempt to coerce [her] to submit to his sexual overtures," according to an investigative report published by Nola.com.
25 women have also claimed that they faced sexual harassment from male coworkers and bosses while working in Besh's restaurants, according to Nola.com.
Besh said he felt the relationship with his former employee was "consensual," in a statement to Nola.com. The chef also said that he apologized to those he has worked with in the "past and present" who found his behavior "unacceptable."
John Besh did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Leon Wieseltier
Former editor of the New Republic, Leon Wieseltier, has been accused by many of his former female colleagues of sexually harassing them, and making crude sexual comments to them, according to The New York Times.
In a statement to The New York Times, Wieseltier asked for his former colleagues' "forgiveness."
“The women with whom I worked are smart and good people. I am ashamed to know that I made any of them feel demeaned and disrespected," Wieseltier said. "I assure them I will not waste this reckoning.”
Leon Wieseltier did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Bob Weinstein
Amanda Segel, the former executive producer of "The Mist" series, accused Bob Weinstein of consistently making unwanted advances on her, in an interview with Variety.
"The Mist" was being produced by The Weinstein Company, and while working on the project with Weinstein, Segel said he continued to ask her out to dinner, despite her repeatedly telling him she was uninterested in a romantic relationship. Segal said that his advances only stopped once she told The Weinstein Company that she would leave "The Mist" if his behavior continued.
“‘No’ should be enough,” Segel said. “After ‘no,’ anybody who has asked you out should just move on. Bob kept referring to me that he wanted to have a friendship. He didn’t want a friendship. He wanted more than that. My hope is that ‘no’ is enough from now on.”
Weinstein's lawyer Ben Fields released a statement to Variety denying Segel's allegations.
“There is no way in the world that Bob Weinstein is guilty of sexual harassment, and even if you believed what this person asserts there is no way it would amount to that,” Fields said.
Bob Weinstein did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
Roy Price
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Isa Hackett alleged that former head of Amazon Studios Roy Price sexually harassed her while they were promoting the series "The Man in the High Castle" in 2015.
Hackett is author Philip K. Dick's daughter, and worked as an executive producer on the series based on her father's book.
Hackett said she met Price on July 10, 2015, at San Diego's Comic-Con to promote the series with him, and that he invited her to an Amazon staff party that evening. She and Price shared a cab to the party, where Hackett said that Price told her, "You will love my d--k."
According to Hackett, she declined Price's advances, but his inappropriate behavior persisted throughout the evening, and at one point Hackett said he whispered the words "a--l sex" into her ear.
Hackett said she reported Price's behavior to Amazon immediately.
After The Hollywood Reporter's article was published, Amazon suspended Price indefinitely, and soon after Price resigned from his position at Amazon.
Price has yet to address the allegations against him, or his resignation.
Ben Affleck
Actress Hilarie Burton accused Ben Affleck of groping her breast during a 2003 interview.
Burton tweeted a video of the alleged groping and wrote, "Girls. I'm so impressed with you brave ones. I had to laugh back then so I wouldn't cry. Sending love."
Affleck quickly tweeted an apology to Burton, saying he had "acted inappropriately."
Makeup artist Annamarie Tendler also accused Affleck of groping her, during a Golden Globes party in 2014 (in a tweet).
Affleck has yet to respond to Tendler's tweet.
A representative for Ben Affleck declined Business Insider's request to comment.
Source: Business Insider India