CBS said Wednesday that it has placed senior vice president of talent for CBS Television Studios Vincent "Vinnie" Favale on administrative leave while it looks into allegations that he used inappropriate language in the workplace.
The move follows a CNN report in which the network spoke with nine current and former CBS employees, who described instances between 2015 and 2018 where Favale allegedly made sexual, homophobic and derogatory comments. One female former CBS executive told CNN that Favale said "he got four erections while watching Jennifer Hudson rehearse."
In the CNN report, Favale denied allegations of retaliation and said his comments were taken out of context.
"The comments reported in this story are offensive and not consistent with the standards we expect from our executives or the culture we want at CBS," CBS said in a statement to CNBC. "The network investigated a complaint for inappropriate language that was received in January 2016, and corrective action was taken. However, since concerned voices are speaking up nearly three years later, additional review is warranted. Mr. Favale has been placed on leave while we look into this situation further."
The allegations come about a month after CBS said its CEO Leslie Moonves would step down following accusations of sexual misconduct from multiple women.
