According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jeff Shell will be departing from NBCUniversal following a complaint that was filed against him alleging inappropriate conduct. Shell served as the CEO of the multinational mass media corporation.
After an outside law firm conducted an investigation under Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts, who Shell reported directly to, Shell and parent company Comcast released a joint statement announcing the news. He admitted, “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.” His exit will be effective immediately.
Additionally, Roberts and Comcast President Mike Cavanagh have also prepared a company memo to staff stating: “We are disappointed to share this news with you. We built this company on a culture of integrity. Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace. When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take the appropriate action, as we have done here. Please know that NBCUniversal is performing extremely well operationally and financially, and we couldn’t be more enthusiastic about our position and prospects going forward. We are fortunate to have an experienced, world-class group of executives leading this incredible company,” via Deadline.
Cavanagh will also be taking on Shell’s role in the meantime.
From exclusive sources at Deadline, Hadley Gamble filed the complaint, sometime last month. Gamble is currently the CNBC anchor and Senior International Correspondent. Her relationship with Shell reportedly began eleven years ago and was on-and-off until its end a few years ago. At the time, Shell was a chairman of NBCUniversal International, then becoming a chairman for Universal Filmed Entertainment. Shell was promoted to CEO of NBCU in 2020.