Hadley Gamble leaves CNBC after alleging sexual harassment by Jeff Shell
Broadcast journalist Hadley Gamble — who alleged sexual harassment by NBCUniversal’s then-chief Jeff Shell, prompting his high-profile termination — is leaving CNBC, according to a brief corporate statement.
“CNBC today announced that Hadley Gamble, anchor and senior international correspondent, is leaving the company,” the company said.
NBCUniversal representatives declined to comment about a possible financial settlement with Gamble, which is believed to have expedited her departure from the network. Early this year, CNBC executives had informed Gamble that they were not planning to renew her employment contract, which was set to expire this summer, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to comment.
Gamble’s representatives did not immediately comment on Tuesday.
The 41-year-old financial news correspondent reported from Dubai. She reportedly met Shell more than a decade ago when he was based in London running NBCUniversal’s international operations after Comcast purchased NBCUniversal from General Electric Co. Shell returned to Los Angeles in 2013 to run the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.
He was elevated to NBCUniversal chief executive in January 2020.
Six weeks ago, Gamble reported Shell’s alleged behavior to the company, triggering an investigation.
Comcast has said it hired an outside law firm to review Gamble’s complaint, which included allegations of sexual harassment. “During the investigation, evidence was uncovered that corroborated the allegations,” Comcast said last month in a securities filing.
Shell stepped down in late April.
Comcast has said it does not plan to pay him a severance package.
“The investigation into Mr. Shell arose from a complaint by my client of sexual harassment and sex discrimination,” said a lawyer for CNBC journalist Hadley Gamble.
Gamble appeared on CNBC until this week.
She gained prominence through interviews with Middle Eastern leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In that 2021 interview with Putin, during a session in a Russian energy forum, Gamble drew scorn from Russian state media who accused her of “positioning herself as a sex object” to distract Putin. During the interview, Putin called her “a beautiful woman.”
The flap was covered by U.S. media outlets, including the New York Post and Inside Edition.
“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 company said in a one-paragraph statement. “Her initiative and drive have secured valuable interviews with several world political leaders. We wish her every success in her future endeavors.”
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