Andrew Creighton has resigned from his position as president of Vice Media following accusations of sexual harassment, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.
Creighton, who had been with Vice for 16 years both in London and New York City, was placed on suspension on Jan. 2 after The New York Times reported that Vice paid a $135,000 settlement in 2016 to a woman who said she was fired after rejecting an intimate relationship with Creighton.
An internal investigation earlier this year cleared Creighton of misconduct in the 2016 case despite the monetary settlement, according to an individual with knowledge of the situation, but he subsequently decided not to return. A rep for Vice Media declined to comment; Creighton did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In March, former A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc replaced co-founder Shane Smith as Vice Media’s CEO, signaling the company’s eagerness to address a reputation for a bro-like culture.
The company, which missed its 2017 earnings target by $100 million, has been racked by a series of #MeToo scandals.
In January, Vice’s chief digital officer, Mike Germano, exited the company after the New York Times reported two accusations of sexual misconduct against him (he apologized for “inappropriate” behavior in a statement to the Times). Germano had been with Vice Media since 2013, when Vice acquired his digital agency Carrot Creative, which he founded in 2004.
The Germano news was delivered to Vice Media employees in the form of a terse internal memo from company COO and CFO Sarah Broderick in January, 2018. “As you are aware, Mike Germano has been on leave and I want to let you know that he will not be returning to the company,” she said.
In a public note to employees after the Times story was published, Vice co-founders Shane Smith and Suroosh Alvi apologized on behalf of the company.
“We understand that this had an impact on current and former employees at Vice, and we want to express our deepest apologies to them, as well as our extreme regret for our role in perpetuating sexism in the media industry and society in general,” they wrote.
A third co-founder, Gavin McInnes, left the company several years ago and later went on to found the right wing fraternal organization “The Proud Boys.”