CNBC said on Tuesday it has parted company with Hadley Gamble, a senior anchor and reporter who has accused the former CEO of NBCUniversal, the network’s parent division, of sexual harassment.
In a succinct and flashy statement, CNBC called Ms. Gamble, who has worked for the Business News Network for more than a decade, an “distinguished journalist” who has developed “deep expertise in the Middle East and beyond.”
Her initiative and leadership have secured valuable interviews with many of the world’s political leaders. “We wish her all the best in her future endeavours,” the statement said.
CNBC and Ms. Gamble have negotiated a financial settlement worth more than $1 million in connection with her exit, according to a person familiar with the decision.
In late March, Ms. Gamble filed a complaint accusing NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell of sexual harassment. He also raised allegations of bullying and discrimination at CNBC. The complaint, which ran more than a dozen pages, also named two directors in CNBC’s international division.
That complaint set off an investigation that led to Mr. Shell’s firing last month, sending echoes across NBCUniversal’s sprawling global organization. Comcast president Michael Kavanagh stepped in to oversee NBCUniversal.
Comcast is still investigating aspects of Ms. Gamble’s discrimination complaint at CNBC.
Ms. Gamble did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr Shell said Ms Gamble’s complaint “misrepresents the facts of what went wrong”.
Mr. Shell’s sudden firing put CNBC at the center of its own corporate backstory. A highly profitable global company with offices in financial capitals including London and Dubai, CNBC faces many of the same challenges as other cable channels, as viewers abandon traditional television for streaming services.
The network is trying to offset that decline, in part, by getting subscribers to products like the CNBC Pro Service and the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer.
Ms. Gamble filed her complaint after the network decided not to renew her contract. Last June, CNBC told her it was investigating a complaint against her and a director at CNBC who had overseen her.
Among other things, CNBC investigated whether it used a romantic relationship with Tom Barrack, a private equity investor, to secure an interview with Jared Kushner, according to Ms. Gamble’s complaint. The investigation concluded that Ms. Gamble had a relationship with Mr. Barrack, but determined that the relationship had been disclosed and there was no evidence of wrongdoing, according to her complaint.
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