A CBS Actor Allegedly Sexually Harassed His Co-Star, But His Show Is Still On Because It’s “Popular”

Despite allegations of sexual harassment against lead Michael Weatherly, CBS is standing by Bull ahead of its upcoming 4th season. In December 2018, actress Eliza Dushku, who starred in three episodes of the show back in 2017, wrote an op-ed for the Boston Globe about her experience losing her job after she reported alleged sexual harassment against her by Weatherly.

"Weatherly sexually harassed and bullied me day-in and day-out and would have gotten away with it had he not been caught on tape, and had the CBS lawyers not inadvertently shared the tapes with my counsel, Barbara Robb," Dushku wrote, saying that after she approached Weatherly about his behavior, he sent a text to CBS Television President David Stapf asking Dushku to be written off the show. At the end of it all, she settled with CBS for $9.5 million in early 2018.

But it's not the end, because Bull is returning to television this September.

“In any situation where we receive information or hear something is askew on a show, we investigate," CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl said in a Q&A on Thursday. "That’s what happened on ‘Bull.’ And there was a settlement that was reached."

He also said that bother Weatherly and Bull's executive producer Glenn Gordon Caron, are receiving "leadership coaching" in hopes of running "a welcoming set for everyone from top to bottom."

However, there's another reason to keep the show on the air: despite the allegations, people are watching.

“More than 10 million people watch every week,” Kahl continued. "Michael is loved by our audience and even after these allegations came out, people continue to watch. So It’s a popular show that we want to keep on our air...and it’s a very good show, as well."

As for Dushku, she's pregnant with her first child with husband Peter Palandjian, but is not currently attached to any projects, according to IMDb. Representatives for Dushku, Weatherly, and CBS did not immediately respond to Refinery29's request for comment.