Eliza Dushku CBS, Janet Jackson, Melania Trump Poll: Broadsheet December 14

EVERYONE'S TALKING

• That's some Bull.  The news at CBS just keeps on coming.

Following the behavior and ousters of Les Moonves, Jeff Fager, and Charlie Rose, a new story shows how a hostile culture can trickle down from the very top to infect all aspects of an organization.

Case in point: the TV show Bull, apparently the 10th most-watched entertainment program on network TV—and one where an actress asking a co-star to stop making demeaning comments led to what seems to be a cut-and-dried instance of retaliation.

Eliza Dushku—who you might know as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer  or Missy in Bring It On—joined the show for three episodes with plans explicitly in the works to make her a series regular. The show's lead, NCIS's Michael Weatherly, quickly made Dushku uncomfortable: "Here come legs," he said once when she wore a suit, and he'd take her to his "rape van," he said as an ad-lib while filming. (Weatherly has said his comments were ill-advised jokes.)

But Dushku approached Weatherly about his comments—and days later, she was written off the show.

Dushku won $9.5 million in a settlement with CBS over what she believed to be retaliation—a sum equal to what she would have earned as a cast member on the show for four seasons. (If that sounds like a lot, remember Moonves's $120 million severance package.)

The details of this incident come from the report outside investigators completed into sexual harassment at CBS following the reported conduct of the network's chief, Moonves.

Apart from the details—written off in days? Really?—this particular story is striking for what it reveals about every level of CBS. At a network where Moonves allegedly assaulted and harassed women, a prime-time star felt comfortable making harassing comments on his set. Then crew members on that set took a cue from their lead actor and made similar comments, Dushku told investigators.

And when the actress spoke up, she—like so many who have told stories of what happened to their careers after encounters with Moonves—was the one who paid a price. New York Times

Emma Hinchliffe
[email protected]

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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

• The art of the deal. Lots of Nancy Pelosi news over the last few days, but here are some of the details on the deals she made with contingents of the Democratic Party to ensure she'll be speaker of the House: a limit to four years, embracing rule changes meant to promote bipartisan legislating, and a few more agreements. Not to mention, she prompted Max Mara to start selling a discontinued red coat again. New York Times

• Double digit dip. Melania Trump sat down for a Fox News interview with Sean Hannity (where, yes, she debuted a new blonde hair color) and said that "opportunists... Are using [her] name." Her approval rating is down 11 points from October, to 43% now viewing her favorably—a relatively low number for a first lady.  Politico

• Later, lingerie. As parent company L Brands deals with the saga over at Victoria's Secret, it's selling off another lingerie brand, La Senza. The brand went to an affiliate of private equity firm Regent LP. Business of Fashion

• Let's rock 'n' roll. Good news Friday: Janet Jackson, after three nominations, received a long-overdue induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, joined by Stevie Nicks. The hall of fame has struggled to honor women in recent years, and this is only one of a handful of times the organization has inducted two women in the same year.  Refinery29

MOVERS AND SHAKERS:  Alibaba co-founder Lucy Peng stepped down as CEO of its southeast Asian e-commerce company Lazada. After Disney's deal with 21st Century Fox closes, Rebecca Campbell will lead a new Europe, Middle East, and Africa team. Former DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson will run operations at Quibi, the new short-form video company led by Meg Whitman.

MORE FROM MPW NEXT GEN

• Nine digits too many? A few stragglers from Coins2Day's Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit, which finished up Wednesday night: first, women in venture capital reflect on the the drawbacks of the rise of mega-rounds in startup funding.   Coins2Day

• Battling with more than Burger King. Convenient food of any sort is a competitor to McDonald's, and that means grocery delivery service Instacart. Lucy Brady, senior vice president of corporate strategy at McDonald's, and Instacart vice president of business development Sarah Mastrorocco chatted about how they overlap and compete.  Coins2Day

• Where are the GOP women? Christina Hagan—the youngest woman elected to the Ohio legislature, known for her sponsorship of the state's anti-abortion "heartbeat bill"—says conservative women aren't getting elected because of problems with the Republican primary process. Coins2Day

• Sing it loud. We closed out Next Gen with a performance by Elle King. (Even if you don't recognize her name right away, you'd probably recognize her song "Ex's and Oh's.") Men in the music industry didn't take her seriously, she told the crowd, but she's proved them wrong. Coins2Day

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ON MY RADAR

[Humor] I have a son now, which means I can finally start respecting men as people  The Root

Michelle Obama inspired toddler Parker Curry to write a book of her own  Page Six

Taylor Swift's Reputation  stadium tour movie will air on Netflix  Coins2Day

Shawn Holley, the attorney who brought together Kim Kardashian West and President Trump  Glamour

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