CBS has defended its decision to renew popular drama “Bull” following a sexual harassment settlement against its lead actor.
Actress Eliza Dushku, known for her work on “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” claimed she was written out of the show “Bull” after she alleged the star actor Michael Weatherly made comments about her appearance and jokes about rape in 2017, according to a report published Wednesday by the Associated Press.
CBS president on Bull renewal: Michael Weatherly ‘admitted to that mistake’ https://t.co/G5wV5qJ0n2
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) May 15, 2019
Last year the allegations became public in a New York Times piece, along with the $9.5 million confidential settlement made. However, CBS picked up the series for another season.
CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl defended the decision saying Weatherly had apologized when the incident occurred and again when the incident was made public. (RELATED: Report: CBS Employee Was ‘On Call’ To Perform Oral Sex On Les Moonves)
“First and foremost, what we found was Michael made a mistake in his comments. He owned that mistake. He was apologetic at the time,” Kahl said.
THIS JUST IN: #Bull Renewed at CBS for Season 4 https://t.co/lL00fF85ci pic.twitter.com/9iFvfV1qJB
— TVLine.com (@TVLine) May 9, 2019
“So, when we look at the totality of the situation, we felt comfortable bringing ‘Bull’ back on the air,” he said.
Dushku claimed Weatherly made comments about her appearance, rape and threesomes in front of the entire cast and crew of the show. She was reportedly compensated what she would have been paid for four seasons.