New York attorney general's office reportedly questioned Megyn Kelly, other women as part of probe into allegations of harassment and gender discrimination at NBC News
- Late last year, the New York Attorney General's office conducted an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation at NBC News, Variety reports.
- Reports of the inquiry arrived days after NBC News announced a shake-up at the top.
- Chairman Andy Lack will step down and transition out of the company by May, earlier than his expected post-election departure. He's being replaced by Cesar Conde, currently the chairman of NBCUniversal International Group and NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises.
- The NY AG's probe reportedly looked into allegations that the network failed to address accusations of misconduct, and retaliated against people who attempted to bring accusations of sexual harassment to light.
- Megyn Kelly reportedly spoke with investigators, according to Variety.
- One journalist questioned, Linda Vester, told the Los Angeles Times that investigators focused their questioning on Matt Lauer's alleged conduct.
- Variety also reports that former host Chris Matthews and chairman Andy Lack's conduct were under scrutiny. NBC News did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
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The New York Attorney General's office interviewed multiple women who worked at NBC News — including former host Megyn Kelly — as part of an investigation late last year into allegations of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation at the network, Variety reported.
Some of the individuals reportedly under scrutiny were former "Hardball" host Chris Matthews, who retired in March after journalist Laura Bassett recounted inappropriate remarks he had made towards her, and NBC News chairman Andy Lack, who abruptly announced on Monday that he was stepping down months ahead of a planned retirement.
News of the inquiry comes as NBC News undergoes a major shuffle at the top, and after years of allegations that during Lack's tenure, the network failed to properly handle sexual harassment claims against individuals like Matt Lauer, the former TODAY show host who was fired in 2017 after a female colleague accused him of "inappropriate sexual behavior." Former NBC News investigative journalist Ronan Farrow has also accused NBC News executives of supressing his reporting into sexual assault claims against Harvey Weinstein, a story he ultimately broke in The New Yorker in October 2017.
The New York Attorney General's office declined to comment for Insider's story.
NBC News did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment. Representatives for Kelly did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Kelly did not immediately respond to a text from Insider.
It is not clear if the inquiry was ongoing, but Variety reported, based on "a person directly involved with the investigation," that it may be on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Variety spoke to three women who were questioned by the attorney general's office, and reports that three other people were brought in for questioning. The trade publication, citing "well-placed sources," reported that at a dozen men and woen in total were brought in for questioning as part of a wide-ranging inquiry.
Linda Vester, a former NBC News anchor who accused Tom Brokaw of repeatedly acting inappropriately towards her with behavior that included forcible kissing, told Variety that the attorney general's office interviewed her as part of the inquiry.
"They asked me to recount my original experience, and wanted to know a lot about the retaliation after I told the Brokaw story and what I thought might be Andy Lack's involvement in it," she said.
Vester also told the Los Angeles Times that "Matt Lauer was front and center" in her interviews, and that a former staffer for Matthews was brought in for questioning.