"US Media Industry Mogul Resigns Over Inappropriate Relationship with Female Subordinate"

Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal in the United States, announced his resignation as an investigation into an inappropriate relationship with a female employee began.

On the 23rd (local time), according to foreign media including the US CNBC, the parent company Comcast received a tip from the woman involved and hired an external lawyer to start an internal investigation.

Jeff Shell, CEO of NBCUniversal.
Photo by Yonhap News

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Shell, who is married, released a statement saying, "I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman at the company and deeply regret it," adding, "I am sincerely sorry for disappointing my colleagues at Comcast and NBCUniversal." The exact nature of their relationship has not been disclosed.

Brian Roberts, CEO of Comcast, and Mike Cavanagh, President, also sent a statement to employees emphasizing, "You must be able to rely on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace," and "If any cases violate our principles and policies, we will act swiftly to take appropriate measures."

The media reported that with Shell’s resignation, the CEO position will remain vacant for the time being. His duties are expected to be temporarily handled by President Cavanagh.

Shell was regarded by the media as one of the most prominent figures in the US media industry over the past 30 years.

Shell served as CEO of Fox Cable Networks before joining Comcast in 2004, where he led Universal Film and Entertainment and NBCUniversal International, and was appointed CEO of NBCUniversal in January 2020.

At NBCUniversal, he oversaw theme parks, the streaming service "Peacock," sports production, broadcast stations, entertainment, and news channels, but faced management difficulties as theme parks and theaters closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The streaming service "Peacock" surpassed 20 million paid subscribers but, being smaller than other competitors, posted an operating loss of $1 billion in the fourth quarter of last year.

Meanwhile, this is not the first scandal involving NBCUniversal executives. In 2020, Ron Meyer, Vice Chairman of NBCUniversal, resigned after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a female actress and being threatened with extortion by a third party aware of the relationship.

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