"60 Minutes" executive out after months of misconduct allegations
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Jeff Fager, the longtime executive producer of the iconic "60 Minutes" Sunday news broadcast, is out after months of allegations of sexual harassment.
Why it matters: His exit follows the high-profile departure of CBS chief Les Moonves, who left the network Sunday after two reports were published alleging the executive sexually harassed over a dozen women over three decades.
The details: CBS President David Rhodes sent a memo to employees, obtained by Axios and first reported by CNN, detailing Fager's departure.
- In the memo, CBS President David Rhodes says Fager is leaving because he violated company policy, and that "his departure is not directly related to the allegations surfaced in press reports."
- Rhodes also explained replacement plans, "Jeff Fager is leaving the company effective immediately. Bill Owens will manage the 60 Minutes team as Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews and I begin the search for a new executive producer of the program."
- Rhodes says interim CBS chief Joe Ianniello "is in full support of this decision and the transition to come."
The allegations against Fager, allege that he was complicit in allowing a culture of sexual harassment at the network and that he made women uncomfortable while inebriated at company parties.
The big picture: Fager joins a growing list of high-profile network individuals to leave a company in part due to accusations or findings of sexual misconduct, including CBS' Moonves and Charlie Rose, Fox's Roger Ailes and Bill O'Reilly, and NBC's Mark Halperin and Matt Lauer.