Sexual misconduct in the workplace is a hot topic in the news these days. It seems as if there are new, earth-shaking stories every week about a person in a powerful position leveraging that privilege for dubious means. For many years, the stories of these people went without any light being shed on them at all. The cycle of abuse continues well on into the future.
Fortunately, it seems as if this trend is being tested by all who can stand against it. With the help of experienced professionals like a Levitt employment lawyer, people who have openly harassed coworkers at work are held accountable for their misdeeds. This, naturally, has led to more than a few jobs lost in various industries.
Here are six examples of famous people who got fired for sexual harassment:
1. Matt Lauer
One of the most famous individuals who got fired for sexual harassment is Matt Lauer. During his years as a television host, Matt Lauer crafted a welcoming, trustworthy image for anyone who saw him on his morning news show. He had become something of a constant in the lives of many early risers as they prepared for their day.
This led to a fair amount of shock and outrage when a tidal wave of more than ten women came forward to accuse Lauer of sexual misconduct. These accusations were apparently well known within the television network, NBC. It was later revealed that Lauer actually had a button hidden beneath his desk that would automatically shut his door and lock it behind visitors.
As all of this came out, NBC made a quick move to terminate Matt Lauer. This was shortly followed by a public apology and recognition of the incidents from Lauer, himself.
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2. Al Franken
In these tumultuous times of American politics, Senator Al Franken was often viewed as a steady voice among more passionate minds. However, that image was immediately shattered following a parade of accusations directed towards Franken by eight different women. These claims were seemingly solidified when photographic evidence of Franken’s misconduct was revealed to the public.
This put a grand amount of pressure on the senator to make a move regarding these issues. Rather than being removed from his position as senator of Minnesota, Franken voluntarily stepped down. However, he has not ruled out the option of potentially running for office once more in the future.
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3. Jeff Franklin
Jeff Franklin created the hit sitcom Full House, and then continued the series with Fuller House on Netflix. This certainly earned the creator a bit of clout when it came to television production. Unfortunately, various staff members on the show complained about Franklin’s behaviour behind the scenes.
Franklin was said to have been verbally abusive towards staffers and consistently made unwelcome suggestive comments regarding his personal sex life in the writer’s room. This was capped with the accusations that he would routinely bring in potential romantic partners for roles on the show, which was an activity heavily frowned upon within production.
This ended with an official statement from Warner Bros. TV announcing the termination of Jeff Franklin, and his removal from the show.
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4. John Lasseter
Co-founder of the hit animation company, Pixar, and the former head of Disney’s animation division, John Lasseter had a big hand in crafting the childhoods of many young people today. This legacy came crashing down quickly following an investigation into Lasseter by The Hollywood Reporter.
Within this investigation, many employees came forward with stories of Lasseter grabbing coworkers, attempting to kiss people, and even making direct comments about their physical appearances. As you can imagine, none of these behaviours look very good on a company such as Disney.
Lasseter was sent on a six-month sabbatical before apparently being forced to step down from his role at Disney and leave the company.
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5. Charlie Rose
This interviewer and reporter had reached a seemingly iconic status within the realm of journalism in 2017. That reputation was irreversibly tarnished in November of that year when at least eight women came forward to accuse the CBS host of deeply troubling behaviour within the studio.
However, Rose wasn’t quite done yet. In 2018, The Washington Post uncovered 13 more accusations from CBS employees and 14 other women that alleged harassment from him outside of work. This clearly created a very big and public problem for his employers, which something had to be done about.
CBS and PBS, the companies that Rose worked for, announced his firing soon after.
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6. Harvey Weinstein
Movie and television producer Harvey Weinstein was a true force within Hollywood for many years. As co-founder of The Weinstein Company, Weinstein had a hand in producing many films. It allowed him to rub shoulders with the most talented actors and actresses the world has to offer.
This all seemingly ended when a stunning total of more than 70 women came forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault of the most severe degree. In the end, Weinstein was removed from his own company and even expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.