Last November, veteran news anchor Charlie Rose was accused of “unwanted sexual advances” by eight women, who alleged that he made passes at them in vehicles and walked around naked in front of them. Rose told paparazzi that these were “not wrongdoings,” but within a matter of days, CBS News and PBS both fired him and never looked back. Now it seems that Rose is planning his comeback, according to a fellow journalist (and women’s right advocate) who says she was asked to help him along.
Page Six reports that editor Tina Brown (previously of Vanity Fair and who co-launched the Daily Beast) confirmed that she was approached to help produce a redemption series for Rose. Reportedly, he planned to interview other former male powerhouses — like Matt Lauer and Louis C.K. — whose careers were derailed by sexual misconduct accusations. Brown first brought up the proposal at a luncheon, where she declared herself to be not interested:
Brown explained to the group that she was having none of it, and remarked, “These guys are already planning their comebacks!” The talk was moderated by WNYC’s Mary Harris at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge.
At the starry Time 100 Gala that night, Brown confirmed to us that she was approached about the Rose confessional show, clarifying she was asked to produce it, rather than co-host. She said of who’s behind the series, “I can’t remember.”
Some of the guests at the luncheon told Page Six that they thought it might be a “Netflix show,” but someone else with inside knowledge of the streaming service denied that any such project was in the works there. And it seems doubtful, indeed, that Netflix would want to indulge such an unsavory pitch after the Kevin Spacey allegations dramatically affected House of Cards production and a Netflix executive landed in hot water after unknowingly telling a Danny Masterson accuser that he didn’t believe the rape allegations (Netflix has since dismissed Masterson from The Ranch).
Still, Brown has gone on record with her claims. And although a Rose comeback tour looks like a disaster in the making, it could be the next logical step (from his perspective) after the Hollywood Reporter recently published a bizarrely sympathetic profile of a broken man who miserably dines alone in restaurants and is “focusing on trying to understand.” Needless to say, there’s plenty of public outrage regarding a Rose redemption show, and now, it’s a waiting game to see which network or online streaming service signed on.
(Via Page Six & Hollywood Reporter)