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Patricia Heaton’s husband, David Hunt, is accused of inappropriate sexual behavior on the CBS show Carol’s Second Act.
The New York Times reported that Hunt, the executive producer of the sitcom, is accused of inappropriately touching a 25-year-old female writer.
As reported by the outlet, a female writer on the sitcom made a formal complaint against Hunt and claimed that he inappropriately touched her on two occasions.
She alleged that the 65-year-old executive producer hugged her twice from the side and then ran his hand up the side of her thigh as he complimented her pants, the publication wrote in its story. Furthermore, the 25-year-old writer also claimed the second incident took place when Hunt was walking around the Carol’s Second Act set and looking for something, that’s when he allegedly grabbed her “by the shoulders and jerked her forward.”
According to The New York Times, co-executive producer and writer, Margee Magee witnessed the second incident. The female writer told Magee about her first experience with Hunt, and they forwarded this complaint to the showrunners. The outlet reported that the writer wanted Hunt to be trained on harassment, and didn’t want him removed from the show. It was reported that Hunt completed the harassment training at the beginning of October.
The New York Times also shared that the two women quit the show as they felt their jobs were being cut back after making their formal complaint about the executive producer.
CBS released a statement with E! News concerning the accusations against Hunt.
“A claim of unprofessional behavior was made by a writer regarding one of the show’s executive producers. The complaint was reported by a producer to the showrunners, who immediately alerted the production company and the Studio,” the statement read. “The matter was promptly investigated by human resources, and appropriate action was taken to address the complaint. The executive producer cooperated fully with the process.”
“In addition, we looked into allegations of retaliatory conduct by the showrunners at the time they were raised, and we found no evidence of retaliatory intent in their interactions with the writer or the producer,” the message continued. “In particular, their decisions about the writers’ procedure during rehearsals and tapings were creatively motivated to streamline their production process and were already being discussed prior to the complaint.”
CBS also added that “certain allegations about them have either been misstated or taken wholly out of context.”
As stated by CBS, “the writer and producer decided to leave the show of their own accord.”
“CBS agreed to their request to be paid for the remainder of their guaranteed episodes this season, and we supported their request to waive any contractual provisions that would prevent them from speaking about their experiences on the show,” CBS said.
Brittany R
Brittany is a writer who is obsessed with rom-com movies, Gossip Girl, reality television, fashion, and pop-culture. When she isn't reporting on the latest celeb buzz, she is filling up her online shopping cart without checking out.