Charlie Rose & Bloomberg Hit With Sexual Harassment & Abuse Suit By Makeup Artist; Ex-Host “Vehemently Denies” Claims

Dominic Patten

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Almost a year after CBS News settled a trio of sexual harassment claims against Charlie Rose, the former CBS This Morning co-host has been sued again, and this time Bloomberg LP has been pulled into the legal fray.

Ex-longtime Rose makeup artist Gina Riggi is taking the once prestigious TV frontman and the New York City-based media company to court for “a pattern of misogynistic, abusive behavior, demeaning, embarrassing and degrading her because of her gender.”

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“Mr. Rose also created a toxic work environment suffused with sexual harassment and gender-based abuse for Ms. Riggi and the female staff, using the Show as an instrument of his predatory sexual behavior, and the Bloomberg studio where he recorded it as a sexual hunting ground,” Riggi adds of the ex-PBS talk show host and her 22-year stint working for him in her detailed 27-page filing (read it here) seeking a jury trial. “Mr. Rose preyed upon his female staff, at Bloomberg’s studio, at his Sherry-Netherland apartment, at his Hamptons home in Bellport, New York, and at the trendy restaurants where he insisted on hosting staff events.”

Amidst allegations from more than two dozen women in the past few years, this latest accusation against the now-unemployed and disgraced Rose was met with a stringent reply from his lawyer.

“Mr. Rose vehemently denies and will vigorously contest these allegations,” attorney Jonathan Bach told Deadline on Friday regarding Riggi’s complaint and claims.

“Among other things, the allegations in the complaint are completely inconsistent with written statements made by the plaintiff to Mr. Rose, including ‘I love working for you at your show, and would love to be part of any show that you host,’ ‘I consider it an honor to be a member of your team,’ and ‘hope to see you more often! Please stop by anytime’,“ the Shapiro Arato Bach partner concluded with texts from between 2010 and 2012.

Rose’s independently produced PBS show was filmed at the New York studios of the Michael Bloomberg-founded company and also aired on Bloomberg’s cable news network – which is partially why Riggi named them as defendants in the widespread, damages-seeking action. She also named Bloomberg because of the blind eye she claims the company turned to Rose’s behavior.

“Bloomberg supervisors personally observed Mr. Rose’s behavior on countless occasions, and received numerous complaints from female staff about Mr. Rose over the years,” the makeup artist states, while also claiming that Bloomberg labeled her as an independent contractor and not the full-time employee she says she was. “In some instances, Bloomberg supervisors experienced the harassment themselves. Despite substantial notice of Mr. Rose’s behavior for many years, Bloomberg refused to address or remediate it, dismissing it, in words or effect, as ‘Just Charlie being Charlie.'”

“At no time was the plaintiff an employee of ours,” Bloomberg spokesman Ty Trippet said Friday of Riggi’s filing and claims. “We understand that the plaintiff was a contractor of Charlie Rose Inc., and given that they operated independently of us, any of her compensation would have been handled solely by Charlie Rose Inc.” The company also made a point, as made before in 2017, that they received no complaints about Rose during his production tenure.

PBS canceled Charlie Rose and CBS fired him from the morning show in November 2017, one day after the first allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against him.

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