A who's who of all the celebrities making cameos in the Les Moonves saga

Sexual misconduct allegations against CBS President Leslie Moonves, rumored on Thursday, arrived Friday, in the form of a shocking New Yorker piece loaded with recognizable names.

Investigative reporter Ronan Farrow reported the stories of Illeana Douglas, Janet Jones, Dinah Kirgo, Christine Peters, a former child actress named Kimberly, and an anonymous actress from a long-running CBS police drama, all of whom say they were harassed, assaulted, and intimidated by Moonves.

In a statement, Moonves denied the accusations: “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. 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.”

Farrow talked to a long list of people who work behind the scenes of Moonves’s network and several people known to audiences who disagree.

Here’s a recap of the more recognizable names that pop up in Farrow’s weighty piece — and one that doesn’t:

Julie Chen

Leslie Moonves and Julie Chen attend the premiere of <em>Patriots Day</em> at AFI Fest 2016, presented by Audi at the Chinese Theatre on Nov. 17, 2016, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo: Tara Ziemba/Getty Images)
Leslie Moonves and Julie Chen attend the premiere of Patriots Day at AFI Fest 2016, presented by Audi at the Chinese Theatre on Nov. 17, 2016, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo: Tara Ziemba/Getty Images)

Chen, the host of The Talk, is not mentioned in Farrow’s piece, but she’s definitely part of the executive’s saga, because she married him in 2004. Hours after the story broke, Chen gave a statement of support for Moonves.

Illeana Douglas

Illeana Douglas attends a screening of HBO’s <em>The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling</em> on March 14, 2018, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Illeana Douglas attends a screening of HBO’s The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling on March 14, 2018, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

The actress told Ronan Farrow that she met Moonves in 1996, as she sought a TV deal for writing or performing. He eventually cast her in a pilot. After summoning her to go over something about the show, he assaulted her, Douglas said. “What it feels like to have someone hold you down — you can’t breathe, you can’t move,” she told Farrow. “The physicality of it was horrendous.” She said he demanded that she stay quiet about what had happened and then fired her for being upset. Moonves denies “any characterization of ‘sexual assault,’ intimidation, or retaliatory action, including berating [Douglas] on set and personally firing her.”

Douglas issued a statement of her own after Farrow’s story was published: “Real change will occur when victims of sexual assaults are not stigmatized as whistle blowers, or people with some kind of agenda for coming forward. Speaking for myself, real change will occur when I can walk through the front doors of CBS and resume the creative and working relationship that was so tragically cut short in 1997.”

Penelope Ann Miller

Penelope Ann Miller attends the 2018 Sarasota Film Festival on April 21, 2018, in Sarasota, Fla. (Photo: John Parra/Getty Images for Sarasota Film Festival)
Penelope Ann Miller attends the 2018 Sarasota Film Festival on April 21, 2018, in Sarasota, Fla. (Photo: John Parra/Getty Images for Sarasota Film Festival)

The Riverdale actress was Douglas’s co-star on the pilot from which she was fired. Miller vouched for Douglas’s account of being upset after the alleged Moonves assault. “There was obviously something going on with her emotionally,” Miller said. “When she came in to test, everything was on. And then, after, on set, it was like she wasn’t there.”

Martin Scorsese

Director Martin Scorsese attends the screening of <em>Everybody Knows</em> (Todos Lo Saben) and the opening gala during the 71st Cannes Film Festival on May 8, 2018, in Cannes, France. (Photo: Gisela Schober/Getty Images)
Director Martin Scorsese attends the screening of Everybody Knows (Todos Lo Saben) and the opening gala during the 71st Cannes Film Festival on May 8, 2018, in Cannes, France. (Photo: Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

When Moonves met Douglas, he told her he was a fan of her work in the award-winning director’s movies Cape Fear and Goodfellas, and that’s why he wanted her to work for CBS. Scorsese was also Douglas’s longtime love interest, from 1989 to 1997, and she turned to him for advice after the alleged assault. According to the New Yorker story, Scorsese “urged her to be cautious about taking legal action against such a powerful person, but agreed to refer her to his law firm.” He told Farrow, “I believed Illeana. What happened to her was reprehensible.”

Judge Reinhold

Judge Reinhold attends the 19th Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Nov. 1, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images)
Judge Reinhold attends the 19th Hollywood Film Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Nov. 1, 2015, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo: Mark Davis/Getty Images)

The Fast Times at Ridgemont High actor, who was a co-star when Douglas was fired, sent an email in support of her for the New Yorker piece: “Illeana was hilariously unique in her comedy and fun to work with. We were all surprised and disappointed that she left.”

Unnamed CBS actress

A woman described as “a prominent actress who played a police officer on a long-running CBS program” said that, in the late ’80s, Moonves asked her to a lunch meeting. He told her that he’d had a crush on her, but that he’d stayed away in the past because she was dating a mutual friend. The anonymous woman turned him down. When Moonves was named president of CBS in 1995, she congratulated him, and he jokingly — at least she thought so — said, “You should have f***ed me when I asked you to.” Shortly after, she was told her deal with CBS was ending. She said that when she confronted Moonves, he forcibly kissed her. “He had approached me to go to bed with him twice, but he did it politely,” the woman said. “But this time he just stuck his tongue down my throat.” (CBS said Moonves does not recall making unwanted advances to the actress.)

Former child star identified as Kimberly

The unnamed actress was introduced to Moonves, who she was told could help her find TV work, by a woman on his staff. Kimberly said that, at a dinner meeting, when the two had a moment alone, Moonves said, “Let’s go. Let’s just get a hotel room. Let’s just do this.” Kimberly declined. “The power differential was so great,” she said. “I was really scared, because I thought I was burning some sort of a bridge that was going to be great for me.” Again, CBS said Moonves doesn’t remember any such meeting.

Katie Couric

Katie Couric attends Family Equality Council’s “Night at the Pier” at Pier 60 on May 7, 2018, in New York City. (Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Family Equality Council)
Katie Couric attends Family Equality Council’s “Night at the Pier” at Pier 60 on May 7, 2018, in New York City. (Photo: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Family Equality Council)

Part of the New Yorker story focuses on the culture at Moonves’s company, specifically at CBS News. Former CBS anchor and 60 Minutes contributor Couric was one former employee who spoke up. It “felt like a boys’ club, where a number of talented women seemed to be marginalized and undervalued,” Couric said.

Anderson Cooper

Anderson Cooper attends the 2018 Turner Upfront at One Penn Plaza on May 16, 2018, in New York City. (Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Anderson Cooper attends the 2018 Turner Upfront at One Penn Plaza on May 16, 2018, in New York City. (Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)

The longtime 60 Minutes correspondent commented on Jeff Fager, currently the show’s executive producer, who had earlier been appointed chairman of CBS News by Moonves. Farrow talked to six of Fager’s former employees who said he touched them inappropriately while inebriated at company social events. “I work there part time,” Cooper said, “but in all the years I’ve been there I’ve never seen Jeff engage in any inappropriate behavior.”

Charlie Rose

Charlie Rose attends the <em>Fifty Years of 60 Minutes</em> book launch event at 92nd Street Y on Nov. 6, 2017, in New York City. (Photo: CJ Rivera/Getty Images)
Charlie Rose attends the Fifty Years of 60 Minutes book launch event at 92nd Street Y on Nov. 6, 2017, in New York City. (Photo: CJ Rivera/Getty Images)

The former CBS This Morning anchor, who was fired over sexual harassment allegations in November, was used as an example of how Moonves’s alleged behavior trickled down through the network. (It should be noted Rose has denied the allegations against him, issued an apology, and now plans a TV series featuring men taken down by sexual harassment allegations.)


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