Charlie Rose, accused by eight women of sexual harassment, says "I deeply apologize"

The Washington Post

UPDATE: (6:31PM ET) CBS, PBS and Bloomberg TV have suspended Rose.

Eight women tell The Washington Post that the CBS and PBS host “made unwanted sexual advances toward them, including lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping their breasts, buttocks or genital areas.” The women, ranging in age from 21 to 37 at the time, “were employees or aspired to work for Rose at the Charlie Rose show from the late 1990s to as recently as 2011," according to The Post. Three of the eight women chose to speak on the record, while the other five preferred to remain anonymous. Reached for comment, Rose issued a statement saying that he “prided myself on being an advocate for the careers of the women with whom I have worked,” but added: “It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken. I have learned a great deal as a result of these events, and I hope others will too. All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives.”