Well that was certainly short lived: Charlie Walk, president of Republic Records Group and one of the, ahem, four judges on “The Four” is resigning from the show. He was accused of sexual harassment and misconduct by a former employee via open letter on Monday.
The former employee, Tristan Coopersmith, is the founder of Life Lab, a women’s wellness studio. She posted the allegations against Walk on the site in an essay, “#MeToo: An Open Letter to Charlie Walk.” In the open letter, she alleges that Walk made lewd comments, shared fantasies about having sex with her and groped her. Shortly after, another woman came forward, saying she had a similar experience with the music exec.
Now, Walk — who was placed on leave from Republic Records — has resigned from The Four, a show we keep forgetting exists. In a statement to Vulture, he wrote:
Out of respect for the contestants, my fellow judges and everyone involved with the show, I have made the decision not to attend the finale of The Four. I do not want my presence to be a distraction. Needless to say this is very upsetting. Although I continue to support the ‘Me Too’ movement, there has been an extreme rush to judgment against me in this particular case which is unfair and inconsistent with anything that even actually happened. I welcome any investigation so that in short order these unfounded and hurtful accusations can be put to rest.
Though he will appear in this week’s episode, as it has already been taped, he will not participate in next week’s lie season finale. And despite resigning, he maintains that he has never acted inappropriately, saying, “I have consistently been a supporter of the women’s movement and this is the first time I have ever heard of this or any other allegation — and it is false.”
