Les Moonves’ wife Julie Chen says she stands by the Twitter statement she made Friday in support of her husband, who has been accused of sexual harassment by six women.
“Some of you may be aware of what’s been going on in my life the past few days,” Chen said at the top of the Monday’s episode of CBS daytime show “The Talk.” “I issued the one and only statement I will make on Twitter. I stand by that statement today, tomorrow, and forever.”
Watch the video here:
Video: Here's the very, very short statement by @JulieChen on @TheTalkCBS about her husband Les Moonves following @RonanFarrow's @NewYorker piece from Friday #TTT #EverybodyTalks pic.twitter.com/Dh6I3ug7jK
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) July 30, 2018
Here’s what Chen said Friday in response to Ronan Farrow’s bombshell New Yorker report, in which six women accused him of unwanted sexual contact in separate incidents ranging from the late 1980s through the early 2000s.
“I have known my husband, Leslie Moonves, since the late ’90s, and I have been married to him for almost 14 years,” Chen wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “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 statement.”
The host of “Big Brother” and “The Talk” has been married to the CBS chief for 14 years. Together, they have one son, born in 2009.
Among the accusers named in the Farrow’s report are “Six Feet Under” star Illeana Douglas, who said Moonves “violently” kissed her during a business meeting in his office; actress Janet Jones, who said he “threw himself” on top of her while he was an executive at Twentieth Century Fox; the producer Christine Peters, who said he stuck his hand up her skirt during a meeting to discuss the possibility of her overseeing the CBS Films studio; and the Emmy-winning writer Dinah Kirgo.
In a statement to the New Yorker, Moonves acknowledged “mistakes” throughout his tenure as a Hollywood executive, including “times decades ago when I may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances.”
“Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely,” he said. “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.”