Rachel Maddow rips NBC News bosses, announces ex-staffers can be free from non-disclosure agreements

The Hollywood Reporter

The Rachel Maddow Show booked Catch and Kill author Ronan Farrow alone for Friday night's show. But before their interview, Maddow unloaded on her NBC News bosses for their handling of the Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer and the Trump Access Hollywood tape sexual misconduct controversies. She also announced that NBC Universal has decided to release former NBC News employees who believe they were the victims of sexual misconduct from non-disclosure agreements, allowing them speak freely. "Any former NBC News employee who believes that they cannot disclose their experience with sexual harassment as a result of a confidentiality or non-disparagement provision in their separation agreement should contact NBCUniversal and we will release them from that perceived obligation," according to an NBC Universal statement that Maddow read on air. Speaking about NBC News' sexual misconduct controversies, she added: "The allegations about the behavior of Harvey Weinstein and Matt Lauer are gut-wrenching at baseline, no matter who you are or what your connection is to this story. But accusations that people in positions of authority in this building may have been complicit in some way of shielding those guys from accountability, those accusations are very, very hard to stomach...he amount of consternation this has caused among the rank and file people who work here would be almost impossible for me to overstate." After his visit, Farrow thanked Maddow on Twitter, writing: "Credit where due: @maddow, independently confirming my reporting that Weinstein story was halted by NBC execs and calling her bosses to account on their own air—not an easy thing, for her or her staff— did this." Maddow speaking out against her NBC News bosses is highly unusual, as former New York Times TV reporter points out: "How powerful is RMaddow at NBC," Carter tweeted. "She unloaded on her bosses tonite abt handling of RFarrow’s reporting on Weinstein. She reported 'consternation'at NBC over missing that+Access H-wood scoop. 'Very hard to stomach,'she said+ questioned lack of external investigation. That powerful." In a separate tweet, Carter added: "Don’t remember something like this, a news star using her power to call out actions by her network that had obviously shaken the professionals working there. Farrow called her brave. It may have been a bit less risky bc of her status, but brave it was. And entirely admirable."