Veteran broadcaster Charlie Rose was suspended by CBS News and PBS on Monday following a Washington Post report that he sexually harassed eight women who worked on his PBS talk show.

Rose, 75, acknowledges and apologizes for the behavior recounted in the Post investigation, which details unwanted sexual advances toward the women, appearing nude in their presence and groping them. The women, aged 21 to 37 at the time, worked at “Charlie Rose” from the 1990s to 2010, the report said.

“It is essential that these women know I hear them and that I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior,” Rose said in a statement posted on his Twitter account. “I am greatly embarrassed. I have behaved insensitively at times, and I accept responsibility for that, though I do not believe that all of these allegations are accurate. I always felt that I pursued shared feelings though I now realize that I was mistaken.”

CBS News issued a brief statement saying Rose has been suspended “immediately while we look into this matter. These allegations are extremely disturbing and we take them very seriously.” Rose is also a contributor to the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes.”


A PBS spokesperson said the broadcaster would immediately suspend distribution of Rose’s nightly talk show “Charlie Rose.”

Rose produces “Charlie Rose” and supplies it to PBS and Bloomberg TV. The prestigious program has made Rose a globally recognized interviewer that gives him access to many world leaders.

The Post report is a potentially punishing blow to “CBS This Morning,” which is the most successful morning franchise in the network’s history.

After decades of futility against NBC’s “Today” and ABC’s “Good Morning America, the team of Rose and co-anchors Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell has given CBS its best morning ratings in 29 years.


Rose and King became co-anchors of the program in 2012. O’Donnell joined the show in July of that year, six months after its launch.

“CBS This Morning” has successfully positioned itself as substantive, newsier alternative to the other network morning programs which go to softer, entertainment-oriented content. Rose’s stature, built by his respected nightly, in-depth interview program , helped give “CTM” a more serious image.

Rose is the first major network news personality to be swept up in the current wave of sexual harassment allegations that have effectively ended the careers of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K.

Earlier Monday, New York Times political reporter Glenn Thrush was suspended after a Vox report that he made unwanted sexual advances toward women during his career at the Times and Politico.


NBC News cut ties with political analyst Mark Halperin following allegations that he sexually harassed women during his tenure as political director at ABC News from 1997 to 2007.

And Bill O’Reilly lost his job as a prime-time host on Fox News in April after it was revealed that he and the network settled a number of sexual harassment claims brought against him.

stephen.battaglio@latimes.com

Twitter: @SteveBattaglio


UPDATES:

4:45 p.m.: This article was updated to include a statement from Charlie Rose.

3:03 p.m.: This article has been updated with the CBS announcement that Rose has been suspended and the PBS decision to halt distribution of his talk show.

4:20 p.m.: This article has been updated with a statement from Rose.


This article was originally published at 2:25 p.m.