Tuesday's CBS This Morning began without Charlie Rose, who was suspended Monday from the morning show after eight women accused the longtime TV journalist of sexual misconduct.
The morning's broadcast, led by co-hosts Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell, began with the allegations against Rose, confirming that Monday's Washington Post and Business Insider stories were accurate after speaking to one of his accusers.
"Charlie does not get a pass here," King said on the morning's broadcast, claiming she is "still reeling" from the news.
She noted, "Oprah called me and said, 'Are you okay?' I am not okay. After reading that article in the Post, it was deeply disturbing, troubling and painful for me to read. To the women who have not spoken up, or who are afraid, I'm hoping that now they will take the steps to speak out too, that this will become a moment of truth."
O'Donnell added, "Let me be very clear. There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It is systematic and pervasive and I've been doing a lot of listening, and I'm going to continue to do that. This, I know, is true: Women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a reckoning and a taking of responsibility ... This will be investigated, this has to end, this behavior is wrong."
The Post story included eight women who claimed that Rose, 75, made unwanted sexual advances toward them, including lewd phone calls, walking around naked in their presence, or groping them, while they worked for him or were interviewing for jobs. Following that report, Business Insider published accounts from three additional unnamed women (they could not say if they were the same women cited by the Post).
On Monday night, CBS announced they were suspending him. PBS, which distributes but does not produce his interview program, said it was pulling that show.
“This is a moment that demands a frank and honest assessment about where we stand and more generally the safety of women. Let me be very clear. There is no excuse for this alleged behavior. It is systematic and pervasive and I've been doing a lot of listening." -- @NorahODonnell pic.twitter.com/9P69QN7spu
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) November 21, 2017
