Good Morning America may have had a huge shakeup last year following the exposed affair of Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes, but now it looks like it’s The Today Show‘s turn for a bombshell revelation.
Today hosts and crew, as well as the estimated 35,000 people that NBC employs, received quite a shock when it was announced on Monday, April 24th that NBCUniversal’s CEO Jeff Shell had stepped down after admitting to an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman at the company. Although he only held the position since 2020, Shell, 57, was part of the NBCU team since 2013, and worked for parent company Comcast since 2009.
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NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell Steps Down
Shell's abrupt departure came following an investigation "led by outside legal counsel," according to Comcast, following an alleged complaint about an inappropriate workplace relationship, which Shell admitted to.
The identity of the woman who he had the inappropriate relationship with has not been revealed. It’s being reported that Shell wasn’t explicitly fired from NBCUniversal, but is leaving as part of a mutual agreement with the company.
Comcast reportedly told employees on Sunday, April 23rd that Shell was leaving the company "effective immediately" after the investigation into "inappropriate conduct." Today host Craig Melvin told the country about it the following day on Monday, April 24th.
"Comcast announced yesterday that the CEO of NBCUniversal Jeff Shell was stepping down immediately after an investigation into inappropriate conduct," Melvin said on the show. "That investigation was conducted by outside counsel. Comcast did not specify how company policy was violated, but Shell wrote, quote, 'I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret. I'm truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down.'"
Shell now joins a number of media industry executives who left their roles over alleged inappropriate relations, including Jeff Zucker, who resigned as president of CNN last year over a reportedly consensual relationship with another senior executive at the network.
Three years ago, NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer left the company after claiming he was the victim of an attempt to "extort" him following a past extramarital affair. According to the New York Times, he said at the time: "I recently disclosed to my family and the company that I made a settlement, under threat, with a woman outside the company who had made false accusations against me." And former CBS Chief Les Moonves resigned in September 2018, just hours after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him came out.
Statements From Jeff Shell And Comcast Execs
Shell's full statement, which he released on Sunday, April 23rd, read: "Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret. I'm truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege."
In a joint statement sent to Comcast and NBCUniversal employees, Comcast CEO Brian L. Roberts and Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said they were "disappointed to share this news with you."
Their joint statement also said: "We built this company on a culture of integrity. Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace. When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here."
