The Irony Of Jeff Shell's Abrupt Ouster From NBCUniversal

Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

That’s what Winston Churchill once said, paraphrasing the Spanish philosopher George Santayana. It’s a classroom aphorism that apparently not everyone in Hollywood remembers, which might help explain the ousting of the head of NBCUniversal.

Jeff Shell, the CEO of the media giant that’s part of Comcast, said on Sunday that he was leaving the company effective immediately.

“I had an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the company, which I deeply regret,” Shell said in a statement. “I’m truly sorry I let my Comcast and NBCUniversal colleagues down.”

In a filing with the SEC, company officials reported said an outside counsel sustained allegations that Shell had sexually harassed this woman. Here's an excerpt of that statement, which you can read in full below:

The backstory

It’s the third time in four years that a top Hollywood mogul has lost his job after an affair. What’s especially notable about Shell’s case — ironic doesn’t begin to describe it — is that Shell fired his NBCUniversal colleague and predecessor under similar circumstances.

Shell took over running Universal’s movie studio 10 years ago. In early 2020, he became the CEO of NBCUniversal, with the added supervision of NBC Entertainment, Universal’s theme parks, its new Peacock streaming service and cable networks including MSNBC, CNBC Telemundo and Bravo.

Not long after his promotion, Shell fired fellow NBCUniversal mogul Ron Meyer after Meyer said he had paid actress Charlotte Kirk to not talk about their affair.

At the time, Shell said that Meyer “acted in a manner which we believe is not consistent with our company policies or values.” According to several reports, Shell at the time was years into his own affair.

In yet another only-in-Hollywood twist, Warner Bros. Chairman and Chief Executive Kevin Tsujihara lost his job a year before Meyer did, following allegations that he had an affair with Kirk as well, and that Tsujihara had tried to help her get parts.

What the company said

In a company note to employees about Shell’s firing, Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and president Mike Cavanagh said that Shell violated company policy.

“You should count on your leaders to create a safe and respectful workplace,” they wrote. “When our principles and policies are violated, we will always move quickly to take the appropriate action, as we have done here.”

Maybe it’s fair to say that even if Hollywood doesn’t adhere to Churchill’s guidance, it follows a different show business maxim: When in doubt, do a sequel.

Read the SEC filing