‘CBS This Morning’ Hosts Denounce Charlie Rose: ‘This Has to End’

Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell both issued forceful rebukes of veteran newsman who was suspended Monday

The remaining co-hosts of “CBS This Morning” opened Tuesday’s show with a full airing covering the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by co-anchor Charlie Rose.

After a lengthy segment addressing the charges and Rose’s long career, the show’s other co-anchors, Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, both issued their own forceful rebukes of Rose — who was suspended Monday.

“Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility. I am really proud to work at CBS News. There are so many incredible people here,” said O’Donnell. “This will be investigated; this has to end. This behavior is wrong. Period.”

King largely echoed the sentiment. “I really am still reeling. I got an hour and 42 minutes of sleep last night,” she said, looking very tired. “I am not OK. After reading that article in the [Washington] Post, it was deeply disturbing troubling and painful for me to read.”

“I’ve enjoyed a friendship and a partnership with Charlie for the past five years. I’ve held him in such high regard and I’m really struggling because what do you say when someone who you deeply care about has done something that is so horrible? How do you wrap your brain around that,” she added.

“I applaud the women who speak up. Despite the friendship, he doesn’t get a pass because I can’t stop thinking about the anguish of these women, what happened to their dignity, what happened to their bodies, what happened maybe to even their careers.”

On Monday, the Washington Post reported that eight women accused Rose of sexual misconduct, including accusations of groping and at least one instance of exposing himself. The cases, which spanned from the mid-1990s to 2011, all involved younger women who worked on his eponymous PBS program or aspired to do so.

After the Post’s report, CBS News suspended Rose from its morning show and “60 Minutes,” while Bloomberg and PBS announced that they would be suspending distribution of “The Charlie Rose Show.”

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