E! News correspondent Ken Baker has become the latest media personality to be accused of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, as numerous women continue to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct in the wake of the scandal surrounding disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The Wrap reported:
One former E! News employee said that in 2012, he called her into his dimly lit office and, after a few minutes, invited her to sit on his lap. Another woman, a former E! News intern, said he kissed her without her consent in 2011, propositioned her for sex repeatedly over several years, and, in 2015, texted her that he wanted to give her “a Tiffany dildo with ‘Ken Baker’ engraved on the shaft.”
In a statement to the Wrap, Baker said he was “very disturbed” by the allegations.
“I care deeply for people’s feelings and sincerely live in a way that treats people with dignity and respect,” he said.
Still, one woman who chose to remain unidentified told the Wrap that Baker had a history of making inappropriate comments, including about the clothing women wore to the office.
Baker has reportedly been taken off the air while E! conducts an internal investigation into the claims.
“E! has a longstanding commitment to providing a safe working environment in which everyone is treated with respect and dignity,” the network said in a statement. “We take all complaints of misconduct seriously, and thoroughly investigate all allegations of harassment.”
The allegations against Baker come one day after NBC and MSNBC journalist Mark Halperin was fired by the networks after five women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct.
Hollywood and the larger entertainment industry have been rocked in recent weeks by numerous allegations from women, and some men, of rampant sexual misconduct against major industry figures. The scandal erupted in earnest in early October, when the New York Times reported on decades of allegations of sexual misconduct by super-producer Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein has since been accused of rape by at least nine women, and has been expelled from multiple Hollywood organizations, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Other high-profile figures who have been accused of sexual misconduct in recent weeks include writer-director James Toback, director David O. Russell, magician David Blaine, actor Ben Affleck, director Oliver Stone, celebrity photographer Terry Richardson, Amazon Studios programming chief Roy Price, Marilyn Manson bassist Twiggy Ramirez, and celebrity chef John Besh.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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