Well, in more Men Failing Upwards news, the CBS show Bull has been renewed for another season, despite the multi-million dollar settlement that actress Eliza Dushku received after she was fired following her allegations of harassment against lead actor Michael Weatherly, and Steven Spielberg’s production company leaving the show over it. Why is the show being renewed? It’s just so darn popular!
When the CBS network head, Kelly Kahl, was asked about Bull’s renewal during the network’s Television Critics Association press tour, Variety reports that he doubled down on his support for the show. “It’s a very popular show. More than 10 million people watch every week,” he explained. “Michael is loved by our audience, and even after these allegations came out, people continued to watch. It’s a popular show we want to keep on our air, and it’s a very good show as well.”
Kahl also confirmed Weatherly had to undergo mandatory “leadership training.”
I wish I could say that any of this surprised me, but let’s be honest: How can it when, with a handful of exceptions, most people who got called out by the #MeToo movement have slowly made their way back into the mainstream? Most of them never lost public support, and Hollywood and other media organizations care more about the bottom dollar than they do the safety of other women.
Because, as was shared in Dushku’s statement and in the suit, she went to the CBS heads about Weatherly, and they decided to do nothing about it. Bull makes enough money for the network, and the network makes enough, that it has made Michael Weatherly worth the nearly 10 million dollars they lost, and that math is all they care about.
Kahl has said before that Weatherly has “owned” his mistake and was “apologetic at the time” considering his actions towards Dushku, but it just speaks volumes that he can do wrong, have audio and video evidence to prove he messed up, and beyond having to take “leadership training,” there are no consequences for his actions. Even the money was not a punishment, because clearly, for them, it was worth paying to keep those 10 million viewers glued to their television screens.
CBS has been called out frequently for alleged racist and sexist behavior that has taken place in the work environment. Even the outing of Les Moonves, the former CEO of CBS, for alleged sexual misconduct did not have any repercussions for the company.
Many have called out the fact that Hollywood was always going to be an imperfect place for the #MeToo movement, because in the end, it’s a place that only cares about money. Warner Bros. can have Johnny Depp work on one film and Amber Heard on another film under their company, to the point where they can end up presenting at the same Hall at Comic-Con, so that no matter what side the public is on, they win.
Actors have lost their jobs for less, and the fact that Weatherly still has a job is the biggest load of bull I’ve seen in a long time.
(via Variety, image: CBS)
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