A veteran CBS executive who developed hit reality shows like “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race” claims in a lawsuit filed Monday that he is being forced out of his job because of his race and age.
Ghen Maynard, who is of Japanese descent, says he is the “only non-white executive at CBS Studios” and that the company hasn’t improved since the ouster of CEO and Chairman Les Moonves last year, amid a whirlwind of sexual misconduct allegations.
“Despite blaming all of its problems on Mr. Moonves and claiming that it has taken steps to improve race and gender issues at the Company, today’s CBS ‘leaders,’ those making the key decisions on such issues, are all white males, whose decisions belie CBS’ self-serving rhetoric,” Maynard’s filing in Los Angeles Superior Court states, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Maynard, 53, was hired by Moonves in 2016 to develop shows at CBS Studios, after serving two previous stints at the network.
More recently, he’d worked on the “Beverly Hills 90210” offshoot “BH90210” and the “Kids Say the Darndest Things” reboot hosted by Tiffany Haddish, according to THR.
Now, Maynard claims he’s being pushed out as part of a recent purging of execs over 40. He said he found out Oct. 2 that his department was being “eliminated” and that his last day of employment would be Dec. 2.
His ethnicity played a part in the firing, the filing claims, citing Maynard’s personal experience to allege discrimination against minorities at the company.
At meetings, minorities were sent to sit in back rows and sometimes excluded from attending completely, Maynard claimed.
He said he’d been told other execs were “threatened” by him and unfairly belittled his work.
Maynard accused the company of conducting a bogus bias investigation against him, based on a claim he mistreated a female coworker.
“Amplifying its mistreatment of Mr. Maynard, earlier this year, CBS subjected Mr. Maynard to a biased, sham ‘investigation’ into a false and ludicrous allegation that he mistreated a female coworker on the writing team when he asked a quiet male employee on the same team for his opinions during a meeting,” states the complaint.
A human resources exec apparently told Maynard that he had not been found in breach of policy but was still being pulled from the “BH90210” project, allegedly by CBS Studios President David Stapf, who is white, the filing states.
CBS denied the claims.
“Mr. Maynard’s contract was not renewed due to the elimination of the Studio’s alternative programming department. The claims in this suit are completely without merit, and we will defend against it vigorously,” the company said in a statement.
0 comments