Gayle King says ousted Charlie Rose ‘does not get a pass’

Co-hosts of 'CBS This Morning' hold nothing back while discussing now fired anchor

Nov 21, 2017

The co-hosts on Charlie Rose’s “CBS This Morning” did not hold back while discussing the news anchor’s alleged sexual harassment of at least eight women to date.

“There is no excuse for this alleged behavior,” an emotional Norah O’Donnell said in the opening segment of the show. “This will be investigated. This has to end. This behavior is wrong.”

These comments followed a regular news segment about the many reports that the 75-year-old veteran news anchor exposed himself and made lewd calls to women who worked for him.

Rose since been fired by CBS and suspended from PBS and Bloomberg broadcast.

His co-hosts were shaken by the allegations against him that date as far back as the 1990s.

“I am not okay,” his co-host Gayle King stated before adding that she hasn’t been sleeping since the Washington Post reported eight women accused Rose of harassing them sexually. “It was deeply disturbing, troubling and painful for me to read.”

She said it has been difficult for her to balance her friendship with the man against the allegations against him.

“That said, Charlie does not get a pass here. We are all deeply affected,” King said firmly. “He doesn’t get a pass because I cannot stop thinking about the anguish of these women.”

King has not yet spoken to Rose about the allegations but said, “I intend to speak to him certainly later today.”

Both King and O’Donnell applauded the courage the women must have had to take steps to speak up about what happened to them.

Rose has apologized to any woman he has upset over the years though he questioned the accuracy of the accounts, saying that he thought he was “pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken.”