"60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager said he was fired “because I sent a text message to one of our own CBS reporters demanding that she be fair in covering the story“ and not because of sexual harassment allegations. | Richard Drew/AP Photo CBS ousts ‘60 Minutes’ chief Jeff Fager amid harassment allegations

CBS announced on Wednesday that Jeff Fager, the longtime executive producer of “60 Minutes,” would be leaving the company amid allegations that he inappropriately touched female employees and condoned a toxic culture of sexual harassment inside the storied newsmagazine.

Fager’s departure comes just two days after CBS chief Les Moonves was ousted, following accusations from a dozen women in two Ronan Farrow exposés in The New Yorker that also included allegations against Fager.


In a memo to staff, CBS News President David Rhodes said that the action on Wednesday was not directly related to the allegations surfaced in news reports, and that those accusations would be investigated independently. Rhodes said, however, that Fager “violated company policy and it is our commitment to uphold those policies at every level.”

Through a representative, Fager sent a statement to POLITICO, saying that “the company’s decision had nothing to do with the false allegations printed in The New Yorker.”

“Instead, they terminated my contract early because I sent a text message to one of our own CBS reporters demanding that she be fair in covering the story,” Fager said. “My language was harsh and, despite the fact that journalists receive harsh demands for fairness all the time, CBS did not like it. One such note should not result in termination after 36 years, but it did.”

Morning Media Your guide to the media circus — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Wednesday night on “CBS Evening News,” Jericka Duncan, who has been covering internal issues for the network, said that she was the reporter Fager had texted. She then read his message on-air, with the text displayed on-screen in a graphic. The texts revealed one of CBS News’ most senior and powerful executives trying to intimidate and even threaten one of the network’s reporters.

Fager’s first text to her read: “-if you repeat these false accusations without any of your own reporting to back them up you will be held responsible for harming me.”

Another message stated: “Be careful. There are people who lost their jobs trying to harm me and if you pass on these damaging claims without your own reporting to back them up that will become a serious problem.”

At the end of Duncan’s report, anchor Jeff Glor said to her: “That message was unacceptable. I think it’s important for you to know, for everyone to know back there, that I, we, the entire team at evening news supports you 100 percent.”

Fager has had a legendary career in TV news, serving as executive producer of top-rated “60 Minutes” for the past 15 years, and previously CBS News chairman and executive producer of “CBS Evening News.” He also helped launch “CBS This Morning.”

But the continued reckoning from the #MeToo movement has demonstrated that even TV news titans can be abruptly dethroned. All told, in the last year, CBS has now lost one of the star faces of its morning show, Charlie Rose; the head of its most prestigious news show, Fager; and the head of the company itself, Moonves — a staggering reshaping for a company beset by accusations of harassment and misconduct.

In late July month, Farrow reported in The New Yorker that 19 current and former employees attested that Fager “allowed harassment” in his division. Farrow reported that six former employees attested to “unwanted touching” from Fager at parties.

In his follow-up report over the weekend, Farrow added an additional allegation, reporting that Sarah Johansen, a producer and former intern at CBS, said that Fager groped her at a work party. “I really felt like this was one of the most sexist places I’ve ever worked,” she told Farrow.

Fager has denied all accusations against him.

In his statement, Rhodes said that Fager’s longtime deputy Bill Owens would manage “60 Minutes” while the company begins the search for a new executive producer.