Eva Longoria, Shonda Rhimes and Jurnee Smollett Among Those Exiting Time’s Up Board Amid Leadership Changes

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Time’s Up’s governing board of directors has issued a new statement about the impending transition of leadership within the group, which includes the exits of several prominent board members.

The statement denotes the women’s advocacy group’s “crisis,” including former CEO Tina Tchen’s resignation, as an “opportunity for growth and change.” Political strategist and activist Monifa Bandele replaced Tchen, taking over as interim CEO after previously serving as COO.

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“We have strong faith in the talent and dedication of our interim CEO Monifa Bandele as a leader,” the statement reads. “As has been announced, Monifa will be overseeing a comprehensive assessment of the organization, in collaboration with an outside consultant, and the input of our stakeholders: survivors and those who work for survivor justice and gender equity in the workplace and beyond.”

As such, Time’s Up will move forward with a new board. Existing board members, including prominent women in entertainment such as Shonda Rhimes, Eva Longoria and Jurnee Smollett, will step down over the next month with the purpose of “giving our CEO the ability to refocus the organization’s leadership to suit its mission and needs.” The statement also notes a priority to ensure that Time’s Up remains financially stable, and that existing board members Colleen DeCourcy, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, Ashley Judd and Gabrielle Sulzberger will remain on the team during the transitional period to ensure that it happens smoothly.

Time’s Up was formed in 2018 in response to increasingly visible stories of sexual assault and misconduct committed by powerful figures in the entertainment industry, such as Harvey Weinstein. Tchen, Michelle Obama’s former chief of staff, became CEO in 2019 and resigned on Aug. 26 after reports were published in both the New York Times and the Washington Post which revealed texts that Tchen had sent to her staff in December 2020, instructing them to “stand down” from publicly supporting Lindsey Boylan, the first accuser of Andrew Cuomo.

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