November 8, 2017
ME—9:02 P.M.
Omg what the hell did you put in my drink?? Phenobarbital????? Thank you for being such a good friend. I treasure you. Oy. Xo.
MATT—9:10 P.M.
The length of our friendship and the comfort that comes with that is more powerful than any drug in a drink! We have and always will have that ease and connection. I adore you back!
November 9, 2017
ME—7:30 P.M.
Yikes they’re saying Charlie Rose is in the crosshairs. Yikes MATT—9:00 P.M.
I know. It’s out of control and it will only get worse!
MATT—10:09 P.M.
Where did you hear about the Charlie stuff?
Been brewing for a bit
November 10, 2017
ME—2:32 P.M.
Former CBS people
Less than two weeks later, amid stories of a long history of fondling, groping, breast-squeezing, thigh-caressing, and emerging from bathrooms stark naked with young female colleagues present, Charlie Rose was expunged—first from CBS, then PBS.
A smooth operator who oozed Southern charm, Charlie was an inveterate bachelor and fixture on the social circuit. And incredibly thin-skinned, as I had discovered. Back in 2007, I moderated a Q & A following a screening of The Kite Runner for members of the media. In my introductory remarks I remember saying something like, “Please ask your questions in the form of a question—that means you, Charlie,” a humorous （I thought） reference to his penchant for long-winded windups during interviews on his PBS show.
Charlie’s long face got longer. He wasn’t amused.
As clouds rolled over the sunny CBS This Morning logo, reporters were hard at work on a story that would jolt another network to its core.
90
No Bueno
November 20, 2017
ME—2:32 P.M.
All good w you? I was thinking about pitching that flashback series. Would you be interested in participating? I think it could be really fun and people would love it. Let me know what you think! Xoxo MATT—2:33 P.M.
Hi sweetie.
Sure, who are you thinking of pitching it to? Andy? Burke?
ME—2:40 P.M.
I dunno! Maybe you can help me figure it out. No rush maybe we can talk about it after thanksgiving!
MATT—2:46 P.M.
Let’s have a second chat after the holiday. Off to London for the weekend. Back Monday. My best to you guys!
ME—4:32 P.M.
Have fun and happy thanksgiving! Xo
MATT—7:32 P.M.
You too!
Just before the holiday, I received an email from my former assistant Meredith asking if I’d be willing to talk to Amy Brittain, a friend of hers from Columbia Journalism School. The same Amy Brittain who, with Irin Carmon, had just broken the Charlie Rose story in the Washington Post. She wanted to talk to me about Matt.
I told Meredith I’d be glad to. I was a young reporter once too.
It was a chilly Saturday in East Hampton. I nestled in the white Pottery Barn sofa with a cup of tea and stared at the skeletal trees outside. I had just built my first fire of the season.
When Amy called, I gave her my standard response: “I really didn’t know that much about Matt’s personal life. I think there was a fair amount of fooling around going on at NBC in general, but I don’t really have anything for you about Matt. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”
I could hear the disappointment in Amy’s silence on the other end.
“But, off the record,” I said, “I’ve worked at many networks, and I found CBS to be the most misogynistic—especially 60 Minutes.”
I heard her typing.
“If I were you, I’d look into that. And,” I added, “Jeff Fager.”
ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27th, I flew to the West Coast. I was knee-deep in a six-part documentary series for National Geographic about some of the most pressing issues of the day—tech addiction, Islamophobia, and white anxiety, as well as gender inequality. I’d started working on it in the summer of 2017. Before Harvey, before Charlie, before Matt. Before MeToo had become a movement.
I was particularly interested in understanding a culture that was preventing women from making greater strides in the workplace. Tech journalist Kara Swisher and I walked around Fisherman’s Wharf discussing the bro-y vibe of Silicon Valley start-ups. To learn more about Hollywood’s uneven playing field, I interviewed Julius Tennon. He’s married to Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis; together, they formed JuVee Productions in 2011 with a mission to open doors for people of color in all facets of the entertainment industry. I sat in on a production meeting with the staff of JuVee to hear how they were working toward their goal.