Two female former Carol's Second Act writers who quit following complaints over Patricia Heaton's husband's improper conduct speak out

The New York Times

The New York Times has the full story of the young Carol's Second Act writer who accused Heaton's husband, executive producer David Hunt, of unwanted hugging. Broti Gupta, a 25-year-old writer, accused Hunt, 65, of touching her inappropriately on two occasions. After an August cast and crew dinner at the L.A. restaurant Pizzaria Mozza -- which was co-owned by Mario Batali until his sexual misconduct controversy -- Hunt allegedly hugged Gupta from the side and ran his hand up the side of her thigh even though they had never met before that night. Gupta opted not to file complaint until weeks later, when Hunt allegedly took her by the shoulders and jerked her forward on the show's set. Gupta told Carol's Second Act senior writer Margee Magee, a co-executive producer on the show, who urged her to tell the showrunners, who forwarded the complaint to human resources. Following the complaint, Gupta and Magee allege that they were kept from rehearsals. The two ended up quitting because they say they felt they were penalized for complaining about Hunt. Showrunners Sarah Haskins and Emily Halpern say, however, they would never penalize a staffer for complaining. CBS Television Studios said in a statement that it had dealt with the complaints fairly, adding that Mr. Hunt had “cooperated fully with the process.” Hunt, meanwhile, underwent sexual harassment training. “All we wanted was for him to watch like a 45-minute harassment video,” said Magee. “None of this had to happen.”