The CEO of American media giant NBCUniversal is being forced to step down over his inappropriate relationship with one of the company’s TV journalists.
Jeff Shell revealed he was resigning in a memo to staff on Sunday, admitting to the improper relationship, though the woman involved was not identified.
“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal,” said Shell.
“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.”
Shell is married. His affair was uncovered during an investigation by an outside law firm in response to a complaint made against him.
Deadline has subsequently revealed that the woman involved is Hadley Gamble, a CNBC TV anchor and accomplished international correspondent. In her role with the documentary series Access: Middle East, she has interviewed several senior global figures. Notably, she was also the last Western journalist to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin before he invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
At the time, Russian state media figures crassly (and absurdly) accused her of trying to distract Putin with her “sex appeal” and “positioning herself as a sexual object”.
“Hadley is a passionate advocate for women in the workplace and their advancement around the world,” her CNBC profile reads.
“She moderated the first ever women’s business forum in Saudi Arabia and provided exclusive content to CNBC as the Kingdom lifted its decades-old driving ban.”
Shell and Gamble reportedly had a sporadic relationship, which started about 11 years ago and ended a couple of years ago. Deadline reports email communications between the pair came to light during the outside law firm’s investigation.
“You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace,” the CEO and President of NBCUniversal’s parent company, Comcast, wrote in a memo to staff.
“When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take the appropriate action, as we have done here.”
Comcast President Mike Cavanagh will take over Shell’s duties for the moment.
Shell’s ousting is part of a wave of accountability in the industry which has led to other high-profile scalps.
Last year, CNN president Jeff Zucker resigned after it was revealed he didn’t disclose a relationship with one of his colleagues. CNN sources at the time said Zucker was faced with the option of resignation or termination.
In 2020, NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer was exited after it emerged he had an affair which led to a financial settlement, and was then later extorted over it.
In 2019, Warner Bros chief executive Kevin Tsujihara departed after text messages were leaked in which it appeared he promised roles and jobs to British actor Charlotte Kirk in exchange for sex.
Kirk was also the actor with whom Meyer had the affair which lead to his exit.
Shell was promoted to chief executive in January 2020. He led the business through the disruption of the Covid pandemic and pushed aggressively into streaming to compete with rivals including Disney, Warner Bros and Netflix.
He joined the entertainment division in 2004 from Fox’s cable operations and has previously head up international operations and the film division.
The timing of Shell’s exit may prove troublesome for NBCU which has “upfront” presentations in the coming weeks, in which broadcast networks woo advertisers. NBCU also has to contend with the ongoing streaming wars, including whether it will see its minority stake in Hulu to Disney, which owns the other two-thirds, or buy the whole thing.
NBCUniversal includes American TV networks such as NBC, USA, Bravo and Syfy, streaming services Peacock and Hayu, minority share in Hulu, theme parks such as Universal Studios and film studio Universal Pictures.
In Australia, Universal Pictures distributes franchises including Jurassic Park, Fast & Furious, Despicable Me, and Blumhouse horror movies such as the Insidious, Paranormal Activity and Halloween series.