Official from CBS fired for aiding Les Moonves in the fight against misconduct charges
Longtime lieutenant Ian Metrose — named in the New York Attorney General’s November 2022 report as a central figure in an effort to quash accusations against his former boss — has announced he’s leaving the network at the end of his contract in March.
Ian Metrose, the network’s veteran senior VP for talent relations and special events, has made his departure from CBS official. The executive, who had worked for the firm for 20 years, has been under fire after a report from the New York Attorney General in November 2022 detailed how he played a key role in trying to defend his then-boss, former CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, from claims of sexual misconduct.
Metrose was the sole executive who remained employed by the network after his participation was made public in a report by New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to TheWrap in November 2022. TheWrap is aware that the SVP of Talent and Special Events left last week when his contract expired.
When his contract with CBS expired this month, “Ian opted to depart CBS,” CBS said in a statement. We appreciate his 20 years of managing network and studio events and wish him the best of luck in his upcoming position.
The report found that in 2017, the veteran executive alerted top-ranking CBS officials about allegations against Moonves that went as far back as the 1980s. He obtained confidential police reports from former LAPD captain Cory Palka, who had developed a relationship with CBS top brass – including Moonves – while working security at various events for the network.
According to reports, Metrose acted as a go-between for an LAPD captain who gave him access to a Moonves accuser’s private police report. The New York AG claims that over a period of months, he plotted with C-suite executives to end a crisis they thought may eventually force the chief’s resignation. (But, it did eventually.) Since then, extensive research has been done on the subject of detailed coverage published in February in The Hollywood Reporter.
TMetrose and his bosses were questioned in February, but they didn’t answer. Ian opted to depart CBS at the conclusion of his contract this month, according to a statement from CBS released on March 18.
Metrose has previously worked for Fox Searchlight and Castle Rock.
Metrose, who acted as a go-between for Palka and CBS, was crucial in keeping the claims quiet for several weeks until they were made public, which caused Moonves to resign in 2018. Following the publication of James’ report, Paramount Worldwide and Moonves settled with CBS stockholders for $24.5 million.
Except for one, all of the CBS executives named by the New York AG’s office in its investigation as having helped Moonves try to intimidate his accuser, a seasoned TV executive, have since left the firm. At the time, Thomas Cruthers served as CBS’ chief security officer and oversaw a counterintelligence investigation that targeted the accuser’s family.