NBC News and MSNBC have terminated veteran political reporter and analyst Mark Halperin's contract amid allegations of sexual harassment that have already scuttled much of his career.



Halperin, a well-known political talking head in Washington, was an NBC News analyst for years and frequently appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe.



On Monday, Halperin's contract with both was terminated, NBC News confirmed to BuzzFeed News. CNN first reported the news.



Last week, MSNBC pulled Halperin off the air after five women accused him of sexual harassment during his time as a top ABC News executive from the 1990s to the mid-2000s.



"We find the story and the allegations very troubling," an MSNBC spokesperson said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News. "Mark Halperin is leaving his role as a contributor until the questions around his past conduct are fully understood."

On Saturday, Showtime announced they would no longer be working Halperin, the host and producer of The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth,.

"Should The Circus move forward with another season, Mark Halperin will not be a part of it,” a Showtime spokesperson told BuzzFeed News via email.

The news was first reported by Variety.



Last week, CNN published accounts of five women who shared instances of Halperin's alleged harassment at ABC News, including kissing a woman and grabbing her breasts without consent, propositioning employees for sex, and pressing an erection against their bodies while clothed.

In a statement on Friday, Halperin apologized to the women he "mistreated."

"I am profoundly sorry for the pain and anguish I have caused by my past actions. I apologize sincerely to the women I have mistreated,” he wrote. “The world is now publicly acknowledging what so many women have long known: Men harm women in the workplace. The new awareness is, of course, a positive development. For a long time at ABC News, I was part of the problem. I acknowledge that, and I deeply regret it.”

Halperin said he had engaged in counseling after his time at ABC and had not repeated the same conduct at his subsequent jobs.

HBO also said it was dropping the project tied to Halperin's as-yet-untitled book on the 2016 presidential election that he co-authored with journalist John Heilemann.

The book, which was set to be published by Penguin in 2018, was the third installment in Halperin and Heilemann's Game Change book series, the first of which was adapted into an HBO movie starring Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin.

The two reportedly received a multi-million dollar advance for their second book, Double Down: Game Change 2012. The third book had been purchased for an HBO mini-series.

"HBO has no tolerance for sexual harassment within the company or its productions," the company said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News.

CNN's Oliver Darcy reported that Penguin Press, on Thursday, decided to cancel its plans to publish the book.



Penguin did not return a request for comment.

Halperin also co-hosted a political analysis show on Bloomberg TV, and produced and was featured in Showtime's The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth, which followed presidential candidates during their 2016 election campaigns.



"During Mark’s time working with us, we have not seen nor have there been allegations of any untoward behavior," Showtime Networks previously said in a statement provided to BuzzFeed News.



The network had said they were aware of the reports and would "continue to evaluate all options should we decide to move forward with another season of The Circus," adding that "there is no tolerance for sexual harassment within Showtime and its productions."



Halperin began working for ABC News in 1988 and was promoted to political director in 1997.

"Mark left ABC News over a decade ago, and no complaints were filed during his tenure," ABC News said in a statement to CNN.



On Wednesday, Emily Miller, a journalist who said she was a former junior ABC employee, claimed in tweets that Halperin "attacked" her. Miller appeared to refer to a 2013 episode of Morning Joe where she and Halperin argued about gun control. "This will explain why so many of you asked why he attacked me on live TV," Miller tweeted.