It has been more than a year since The New York Times published its expose of sexual assault allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein that arguably sparked the #MeToo movement. Since then, more than 200 men have been identified for inappropriate sexual behavior, helping to bring a sense of vindication and validation to hundreds of victims across the country.
The #MeToo movement has been key to raising awareness of sexual misconduct in the workplace and beyond, and is giving a voice to women. Take a look at some of the biggest #MeToo scandals that ended up costing millions.
Matt Lauer
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Cost: $20 million
In November 2017, seasoned journalist and talk show host Matt Lauer was fired from NBC’s “Today” show after one woman accused Lauer of inappropriate sexual behavior at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Soon after, other women came forward and accused the broadcaster of sexual misconduct, including a former NBC employee who said Lauer assaulted her in his office in 2001. Following these allegations and public outcry, NBC parted ways with the talk show host and later replaced him with female host Hoda Kotb.
Leslie Moonves
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Cost: $70 million
Former television executive Les Moonves stepped down as CEO and chairman at CBS after The New Yorker published a detailed report naming Moonves at the center of multiple sexual misconduct allegations. The six women mentioned in the report accused Moonves of inappropriate sexual behavior that spanned over several decades, some of which included unwanted kissing and physical touch. Prior to that, six other women had accused Moonves of similar behavior.
Although Moonves denied many of the allegations, he departed the network in September and tried to negotiate a severance package of $100 million. During his tenure at CBS, Moonves made $650 million and earned nearly $70 million a year.
Bill O'Reilly
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Cost: $100 million for Fox, $25 million for O’Reilly
Fox News talk show host Bill O’Reilly came under fire after several women accused the news personality of sexual assault and verbal abuse in 2017. One of the women who came forward, Wendy Walsh, was a radio presenter and a former guest on O’Reilly’s show. Walsh alleged that she was forced to leave her job after refusing O’Reilly’s sexual advances. The New York Times then reported that O’Reilly had paid a whopping $32 million to his Fox News colleague Lis Wiehl to settle sexual assault allegations against him. Fox severed ties with its star talk show host soon after. Before O’Reilly was cut from Fox, his show was pulling in $100 million in ad sales annually. As for the former talk show host’s financial losses, O’Reilly had received a salary increase in February 2017 from $18 million to $25 million.