CNBC anchor departs after she filed sexual harrassment claim on former NBCUniversal chief

CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble will leave the network only weeks after a sexual harassment claim she lodged led to the firing of former NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell.

A CNBC spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed her pending departure.

“Gamble has been a distinguished journalist for more than a decade for CNBC, undertaking highly visible and challenging assignments, and developing deep expertise in the Middle East and beyond,” the spokesperson said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch. “Her initiative and drive have secured valuable interviews with several world political leaders.” 

As a senior international correspondent at CNBC, Gamble covered energy, geopolitics and financial markets. She was also the anchor of “Capital Connection,” a show filmed from the network’s Middle East outlet in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to working for CNBC, Gamble was a producer for ABC News and Fox News affiliates in Washington, D.C.

The CNBC spokesperson didn’t elaborate on Gamble’s reason for leaving the broadcaster, which is owned by Comcast. Gamble’s lawyer, Suzanne McKie, said in a statement last month that her client’s sexual harassment complaint led to a probe into Shell’s conduct, then chief of NBCUniversal. McKie didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. 

Comcast disclosed in a regulatory filing last month that it had hired outside lawyers to investigate allegations of sexual harassment by Shell. 

“During the investigation, evidence was uncovered that corroborated the allegations,” Comcast said in documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “As a consequence, on April 23, 2023, the company terminated Mr. Shell’s employment with cause under his employment agreement, effective immediately.”

Shell said in a statement last month that he “had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret.”

Shell was an influential media executive who oversaw NBCUniversal’s entertainment and news divisions as the company moved aggressively to compete with streaming services. He became CEO in January 2020. 

His exit adds to other high-profile departures among media executives removed from their leadership positions in recent years following investigations into misconduct. 

In February 2022, CNN’s former president, Jeff Zucker, stepped down following a “consensual relationship” with a colleague that he failed to disclose. Former Fox News CEO Roger Ailes resigned in 2016, less than a month after he was sued for sexual harassment by former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson. The former CEO of CBS, Leslie Moonves, departed the company in 2018 following allegations of sexual assault and misconduct.