NBCUniversal CEO out at Company After Inappropriate Conduct Investigation

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell was immediately ousted on Sunday after he was investigated for inappropriate conduct. Shell, 57, had an “inappropriate relationship” with a woman within the company. NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast, has not announced a successor.

“Today is my last day as CEO of NBCUniversal. I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” Shell said in a statement on Sunday. “I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down, they are the most talented people in the business and the opportunity to work with them the last 19 years has been a privilege.”

Comcast initiated an internal investigation overseen by outside counsel after receiving a complaint. The woman whom Shell had an “inappropriate relationship” with was the person who filed the complaint, a source told CNBC. Shell’s team will report directly to Comcast President Mike Cavanaugh until a replacement is found, and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts will take a more hands-on role overseeing NBCU.

“We are disappointed to share this news with you,” Cavanaugh and Roberts said in a separate statement. “We built this company on a culture of integrity. Nothing is more important than how we treat each other. You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace. When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take appropriate action, as we have done here.”

Shell joined Comcast in 2004 after working at Fox Cable Networks Group, reports Variety. He worked in London from 2011 to 2013 before he became NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment chairman. Shell became NBCU CEO on Jan. 1, 2020, to take over from Steve Burke. His job included overseeing NBCU’s news and entertainment divisions, as well as the film studio and theme parks.

NBCU launched its own streaming service, Peacock, under Shell’s watch. The streamer launched in July 2020 and struggled initially. In January, Shell said the company was more confident in the service now than they were previously. Peacock finally passed 20 million subscribers by the end of 2022, reports Deadline.

“It’s very clear that we picked the right business model given where we are,” Shell said during Comcast’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “We wouldn’t be investing in Peacock if we didn’t think it was going to return the segment to growth over time. … could not be more positive about our trajectory. We’re right where we expected to be in terms of investment and we’re well above where we expected to be as far as paid subs, which is going to pay off.” Comcast will make its next earnings report on Thursday.

Shell is the latest media executive to suddenly be ousted. In August 2020, NBCU Vice President Ron Meyer lost his job after he admitted to an extramarital affair and told higher-ups that there was an alleged extortion attempt. Shell announced Meyer’s departure at the time. Former CNN chief Jeff Zucker, who once worked at NBC, resigned in February 2022 after he failed to disclose a “consensual relationship” with a colleague.