NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell speaks to the media on the Allen & Firm Solar Valley Convention in July 2021 in Solar Valley, Idaho. Shell is out of his job after an “inappropriate relationship.”
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos
disguise caption
toggle caption
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos
NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell speaks to the media on the Allen & Firm Solar Valley Convention in July 2021 in Solar Valley, Idaho. Shell is out of his job after an “inappropriate relationship.”
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Photos
Jeff Shell, the pinnacle of Comcast’s huge leisure and media enterprise, NBCUniversal, is leaving his function instantly, the corporate mentioned Sunday, after an investigation discovered that he had engaged in “inappropriate conduct.”
Shell had labored at Comcast for 19 years. In a quick assertion, he apologized for an “inappropriate relationship with a lady within the firm,” and mentioned he was “actually sorry” for letting down colleagues.
Comcast’s assertion added that outdoors counsel had been employed to supervise the investigation into Shell’s habits following a grievance, however supplied only a few different particulars.
In keeping with an individual with information, the grievance was filed just lately by the worker, who was a subordinate, and the corporate acted inside days of the grievance.
Comcast has not but named a successor to Shell, and introduced that NBCU’s senior managers would now report instantly into the president of the Comcast, Mike Cavanagh.
Cavanagh mentioned he was “upset to share this information” in a separate assertion signed by himself and Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts, the son of the Philadelphia-based firm’s founder. “We constructed this firm on a tradition of integrity,” Roberts and Cavanagh wrote. “You need to rely in your leaders to create a secure and respectful office.”
Shell took on the NBCU CEO place in January 2020, succeeding Steve Burke simply weeks earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic devastated giant swathes of the corporate’s revenues, throughout information programming, leisure networks, films, and theme parks.
He joined Comcast in 2004 from Fox’s cable division, and served as head of worldwide operations in London earlier than additionally chairing the corporate’s movie and leisure division.
Allegations of sexual misconduct loom giant at NBCUniversal. In 2020, Vice Chairman Ron Meyer was pushed out after disclosing that he had paid hush cash to an actress with whom he had had an affair.
In 2017, NBC fired Today show host Matt Lauer after accusations he had sexually harassed colleagues, together with an occasion of assault, all claims Lauer denied.
David Folkenflik contributed reporting.
