U.S. networks suspend Charlie Rose after sex harassment allegations

(Reuters) - CBS and other networks on Monday suspended Charlie Rose, one of the most prominent American interviewers, after eight women told the Washington Post he sexually harassed them and prompted Rose to apologize for his “inappropriate behavior.”

FILE PHOTO: Journalist Charlie Rose speaks after winning a Peabody Award for his work in "One on One with Assad" in New York, U.S. on May 19, 2014. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo

PBS and Bloomberg said in statements they were suspending Rose’s signature interview show, distributed on both outlets, citing the allegations in the newspaper story.

“These allegations are extremely disturbing and we take them very seriously,” CBS News said in a statement. Rose is a co-host on the morning show “CBS This Morning” and a correspondent for its long-running Sunday night news magazine “60 Minutes.”

Rose, 75, questioned the accuracy of the allegations in the Washington Post.

“I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior,” he said in a statement. “I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate.”

“I always felt that I was pursuing shared feelings, even though I now realize I was mistaken,” he added.

Eight women, who worked at Charlie Rose Inc or aspired to a job there, have accused Rose of making unwanted sexual advances toward them, the Washington Post reported on Monday, the latest in a wave of sexual harassment allegations against prominent men in the entertainment and media industries and American politics.

“All of us, including me, are coming to a newer and deeper recognition of the pain caused by conduct in the past, and have come to a profound new respect for women and their lives,” Rose said.

Charlie Rose became the top U.S. trending topic on Twitter late Monday, with more than 98,000 tweets discussing the host.

Rose routinely landed the biggest names in international politics, entertainment and letters for his interview show “Charlie Rose,” which was broadcast on PBS and Bloomberg TV.

An acute listener, Rose employed an engaging yet serious style in contrast to the bitter partisan arguments, cross-talk and raised voices on cable television. True to the show’s sober tone, the set was simply a table and chairs with an all-black background.

His persona on “CBS This Morning” was a little more whimsical, given the lighter subject matter of morning news shows in the United States