GMA hosts George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts are 'at war' over sex assault lawsuit against top producer because George 'kept working with him despite being told about the allegations in 2017'
Good Morning America hosts George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts are said to be at war over a recent sexual harassment lawsuit filed against a former producer, with Roberts' furious that staff including Stephanopoulos allegedly knew about the claims years ago.
The lawsuit was filed against Michael Corn last week by Kirstyn Crawford, 31, who claims he kissed her head and rubbed her legs in 2015. The lawsuit also includes a claim by Jill McClain, who worked with Corn on World News Tonight in 2010. She says he rubbed her vagina over her jeans during a red-eye flight in 2010.
Corn, who left ABC earlier this year, has denied the allegations strenuously and vowed to fight them.
On Monday, his attorney provided with emails from one of the accusers to him the day after he allegedly assaulted her, in which she tells him he's the 'best'.
The lawsuit described how Crawford told Stephanopoulos about the claims in 2017.
Stephanopoulos then told Heather Riley, then-senior director of publicity, Derek Medina, then-senior vice president for business affairs, and Tanya Menton, vice president of litigation, but Crawford chose not to make a formal complaint.
It was not until earlier this year that both women made formal complaints with ABC management and Corn left the network.
According to ABC staffers cited by The Daily Beast on Monday, Roberts was furious that more was not done in 2017.
On a call with other staff, she fumed: 'If this happened to someone on my team, I would have burned the place down.'
Robin Roberts was furious that people at ABC, including George Stephanopoulos, knew about the sexual assault claims in 2017 and fumed that she would have 'burned the place down' if it 'this had happened to someone on my team'
Some saw it as a dig at her co-host, who was not on the call but who the comment got back to.
Roberts then called Stephanopoulos to smooth things over.
'Robin and George are fine. She told him personally that she wasn’t referring to him and called the team the next day to reiterate that her comment was not about any one individual,' ABC News spokesperson Caragh Fisher said.
Stephanopoulos has not commented on the lawsuit or the claims that he and others at ABC News were aware of the allegations in 2017.
The allegations are against former senior executive producer, Michael Corn. He has vehemently denied the claims
Corn's attorney Libbey Locke issued a statement on his behalf last week where he vehemently denied the claims.
'I vehemently deny any allegations that I engaged in improper sexual contact with any woman. Kirstyn Crawford’s claims are demonstrably false—and I am providing contemporaneous emails to prove it. Hours after the supposed incident, Ms. Crawford offered to bring me coffee and breakfast to my hotel room and asked for my hotel room number because she didn’t know it—the very same room where she now claims this incident occurred. The same day, she repeatedly offered for me to share a carth her. And the same day she emailed me, after I helped counsel her through a work problem, “why are you so great?” These are not the words and actions of a woman who had been assaulted hours before.
'Jill McClain’s allegations are equally as fabricated. After I allegedly touched her on an airplane, Jill repeatedly booked our future air travel to sit next to me, she invited me to her wedding—including a pre-wedding event that was limited to her immediate family and closest friends—and she repeatedly communicated to me and my wife that she missed me after leaving her position at ABC. These are not the words and actions of a woman who had been assaulted.
'I will be pursing all available legal remedies against these women and defending myself vigorously.'
Emails obtained by DailyMail.com on Monday show the pair speaking over email the day after the alleged incident.
They spoke throughout the day about Stephanopoulos' travel, and the next day, where Corn praised Crawford for her work.
In her lawsuit, she says both she and McClain were scared to report the allegations because he was their supervisor.
Kirstyn Crawford (left) says Corn kissed her head, rubbed her legs, and burst into her room drunk during a trip to Los Angeles to cover the Oscars in 2015, when she was around 25 years old. Jill McClain, who worked with Corn on a different show, says the producer rubbed her vagina over her jeans during a red-eye flight from Los Angeles in 2010
Emails from the morning after the alleged incident, which Crawford said happened in the back of an Uber and then at the hotel, undermine what she says in the lawsuit.
She said that the morning afterwards, 'not only did Corn fail to acknowledge his inappropriate and inexcusable behavior, but he was also dismissive and rude to Crawford, which made Crawford feel self-conscious and uncomfortable.'
She also claimed 'the Monday after the sexual assault incident against Crawford, Corn was particularly terse.
'He exploded at Crawford, because Stephanopoulos decided he wanted to leave the show early and head home, which was something he did regularly. Corn yelled at Crawford that she had failed at her one job of ensuring that Stephanopoulos remained at the studio.
'Corn later tried to apologize, and acknowledge that Crawford only has so much control, but this continued a pattern of harassing Crawford.'
Emails from the morning after paint a picture of a friendlier relationship.
On Sunday 22nd February, among the many exchanged between the pair, she said in one: 'Hahaha why are you so great.'
On Monday, his attorney provided DailyMail.com with emails from one of the accusers to him the day after he allegedly assaulted her, in which she tells him he's the 'best'.
She also invited him to share a ride in George's car with her, writing: 'I'm taking George's car to lowes to check him in.
'You're welcome to join but im [sic] begging driver to go to in n out on the way that is not a joke' and offered to bring him coffee, food and Advil.
At 10.05am on Monday 23rd February, she emailed him at 7.03am saying: 'Thank you though. Seriously thank you for everything. Have a safe flight!'
He replied: 'Thank YOU. U made this trip so fun. And so easy. I know it was a bear but u made it all smooth and gs [George] did great. See u in nyc.'
ABC News President Kim Goodwin has launched an independent investigation into the allegations.
'We can't have us investigating us. We need an independent person. The process has to be independent,' she said on a conference call with staff.
No comments: