After Bombshell Allegations, Moonves' Wife Defends Him

Julie Chen says CBS exec is 'kind, decent and moral'
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 28, 2018 8:35 AM CDT
Leslie Moonves' Wife Comes to His Defense
Les Moonves and Julie Chen arrive at the State Department for the Kennedy Center Honors gala dinner, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

Leslie Moonves has at least one high-profile defender in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations leveled against the CBS head honcho. It's his wife, Julie Chen, reports People. “I have known my husband, Leslie Moonves, since the late ’90s, and I have been married to him for almost 14 years," she tweeted. "Leslie is a good man and a loving father, devoted husband and inspiring corporate leader. He has always been a kind, decent and moral human being. I fully support my husband and stand behind him and his statement.” The latter refers to her husband's acknowledgement that he made advances on women "decades ago," which he now sees as a mistake, but that he always abided by the principle that "no means no" and never retaliated against the women.

The 48-year-old Chen, 20 years her husband's junior, is the host of Big Brother and a co-host of The Talk, both on CBS. Not everyone shares her sentiment. “With Shari gunning for him, there’s just no way he survives this,” an exec at a rival network tells Variety. “It just rings so true.” The reference to "Shari" is Shari Redstone, the majority shareholder of CBS and Viacom, who is locked in a nasty legal fight with Moonves over her wish to reunite the two companies. In a statement to the Wrap, a Redstone representative denied the "malicious insinuation" that Redstone is behind the new accusations. Still, she "hopes that the investigation of these allegations is thorough, open, and transparent." (More Leslie Moonves stories.)

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