Les Moonves
Born 1949 · Age 76
American media executive; longtime CBS television executive who rose from studio development to become CBS chairman and CEO (resigned 2018 amid sexual misconduct allegations).
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Brooklyn, New York
Leslie Roy Moonves was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Family moved to Valley Stream, Long Island
Moonves' family moved to Valley Stream when he was about one year old; he grew up there.
Graduated Bucknell University (B.A., Spanish)
Completed undergraduate degree at Bucknell University (was pre-med originally; graduated 1971).
Studied acting at Neighborhood Playhouse with Sanford Meisner
After college Moonves attended Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse in New York to study acting.
Bartended and pursued acting in New York City
Supported himself as a bartender in NYC while pursuing acting and stage work during early 1970s.
Moved to Los Angeles to continue acting
Relocated to Los Angeles in pursuit of television and film acting opportunities.
Television acting appearances (The Six Million Dollar Man, Cannon)
Had guest/bit roles on shows including The Six Million Dollar Man and Cannon during the mid-to-late 1970s.
Began development work with Saul Ilson/Columbia Pictures Television
Transitioned from acting to development/production work; worked with Saul Ilson/Columbia Pictures Television.
Produced play 'The Hasty Heart' in Los Angeles
Produced a stage production of The Hasty Heart that ran at the Ahmanson Theatre and won Los Angeles Drama Critics awards.
Joined Twentieth Century Fox Television development
Worked in movie and miniseries development at 20th Century Fox Television following Columbia/Ilson work.
Named head of miniseries production at 20th Century Fox
Promoted to head miniseries production, overseeing TV-movie and miniseries projects.
Joined Lorimar Television (development)
Moved to Lorimar Television as a development executive; later rose through creative ranks.
Named Vice President at Lorimar Television
Promoted to vice president at Lorimar in charge of movies/miniseries and development.
Became head of series production at Lorimar
Took on leadership of series production, supervising hits such as Dallas and Full House.
Named head of creative affairs, Lorimar Television
Advanced to head of creative affairs at Lorimar (preparing for subsequent presidency).
Promoted to President of Lorimar Television
Elevated to president of Lorimar Television, overseeing production slate.
Guest appearances on television (The Nanny, The Young and the Restless, The Practice)
Moonves made cameo appearances on several television shows produced or associated with his friends/companies.
Lorimar merged into Warner Bros.; moved into Warner Bros. Television leadership
Following the merger, Moonves became a senior executive at Warner Bros. Television.
Casting Society & Caucus awards (career achievements)
Received Casting Society of America Career Achievement and Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors Executive of the Year awards.
Named President, Warner Bros. Television
Promoted to president of Warner Bros. Television; supervised development of Friends, ER and many shows.
Bucknell Academy of Artistic Achievement Award
Received Bucknell’s Academy of Artistic Achievement Award.
Named President of CBS Entertainment (joined CBS)
Joined CBS in July 1995 as president of CBS Entertainment, when the network was last in ratings.
Greenlit Everybody Loves Raymond (premiered fall 1996)
Championing new sitcoms, Moonves oversaw the launch of Everybody Loves Raymond, a long-running hit.
Named President of CBS Television
Promoted to president of CBS Television (August 1997), giving him broader network authority.
Engineered NFL return to CBS
Led the deal that brought NFL broadcasts back to CBS, a major programming and revenue coup.
CBS #1 in February sweeps (Nagano Olympics boost)
CBS was first in the February 1998 sweeps for the first time since 1995, helped by Olympic coverage.
Promoted to President and CEO of CBS Television
In April 1998 Moonves was elevated to president & CEO of CBS Television, steering news and entertainment.
International Radio & Television Society Award
Received the International Radio and Television Society Award for significant achievement.
Joined board of ZeniMax Media
Moonves was appointed to the ZeniMax Media board of directors (served later until 2021).
Viacom acquires CBS (corporate ownership change)
Sumner Redstone's Viacom acquired CBS in 1999; Moonves continued to rise inside the combined company.
Judging Amy greenlit and debuted (1999)
Under Moonves' leadership, Judging Amy debuted in fall 1999 and became a popular series.
CSI debuted and scheduling move to Thursday
CSI premiered in 2000 and was moved to Thursday nights, a scheduling move that changed CBS's fortunes.
Survivor premiered; first-season finale drew ~58M viewers
Survivor debuted (May 2000) and became a cultural phenomenon; first-season finale attracted ~58 million viewers.
Signed NAACP contract to expand African-American roles (Feb 2000)
Moonves signed an agreement with the NAACP to increase realistic roles for African Americans at CBS.
Variety named him 'Showman of the Year'
Variety honored Moonves as Showman of the Year in recognition of his network turnaround.
Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission Award of Excellence
Received the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission 2nd Annual Award of Excellence.
Bucknell Achievement in Chosen Profession Award
Received Bucknell University's Achievement in Chosen Profession Award.
Named head of UPN (added responsibility)
Viacom named Moonves head of UPN in early 2002, making him the first executive to run two networks simultaneously.
CBS achieved record Emmys and Reagans miniseries controversy (2003)
CBS won a record seven Emmys; Moonves ordered re-editing and ultimately cancellation/rerouting of The Reagans miniseries amid conservative backlash.
Named Chairman and CEO of CBS
Moonves assumed the roles of chairman and CEO of CBS (April 2003), expanding his oversight to news and sports.
Married Julie Chen
Married television personality Julie Chen a few weeks after his first divorce was finalized (2004).
CBS 'Memogate' (60 Minutes segment controversy)
During Moonves' leadership CBS News aired a 60 Minutes Wednesday segment with disputed documents (the 'Memogate' incident).
Divorce finalized from first wife Nancy Wiesenfeld
Moonves and his first wife Nancy Wiesenfeld finalized their divorce in 2004 after a marriage of decades.
Named Co-President and Co-COO of Viacom
On June 1, 2004 Moonves (with Tom Freston) was named co-president and co-chief operating officer of the original Viacom.
Viacom split; CBS and Viacom separated
To address business issues, Viacom was split in December 2005; Moonves' role refocused on the newly independent CBS assets.
Became President & CEO of CBS Corporation
After the Viacom split, Moonves served as president and CEO of the independent CBS Corporation beginning in 2006.
Julie Chen began hosting The Talk (personal tie)
Moonves' wife Julie Chen took on hosting duties for CBS daytime show The Talk in 2010 (personal/family milestone).
Inducted into Television Academy Hall of Fame
Moonves was honored with induction into the Television Academy Hall of Fame (tribute program featured in 2013).
CBS All Access streaming service created under his watch
CBS launched a streaming subscription service (CBS All Access) while Moonves led the company (service launched in 2014).
Elected Chairman of the CBS Board
Moonves became chairman of the CBS board in February 2016 while remaining CEO.
2017 Compensation: Earned $68.4M plus large stock options
Reports show Moonves earned $68.4 million in 2017 and held stock options in CBS worth over $100 million that year.
Issued statement denying career retaliation and acknowledging past advances
Moonves released a statement to The New Yorker acknowledging past advances long ago but denying misuse of power to harm careers.
Resigned from Anita Hill Commission
Moonves resigned from Anita Hill's Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment following the New Yorker article.
Allegations he destroyed evidence reported
Reports alleged Moonves destroyed evidence of sexual misconduct (reported alongside the New Yorker coverage in 2018).
CBS stock decline after allegations
CBS's stock price declined after the July 2018 New Yorker article and subsequent allegations.
The New Yorker publishes Ronan Farrow article with sexual misconduct allegations
On July 27, 2018 The New Yorker published accounts from six women alleging sexual harassment and assault by Moonves.
NBC News reported a separate police complaint (1980s allegation reported Feb 2018 to LAPD)
On July 31, 2018 NBC News reported a woman told LAPD in Feb 2018 that Moonves had abused her in the 1980s; DA did not pursue due to statute of limitations.
Agreement to donate $20M to #MeToo/equality organizations announced
Moonves and CBS announced a $20 million donation to organizations that support the #MeToo movement and workplace equality.
Stepped down as Chairman, President and CEO of CBS
On September 9, 2018 Moonves resigned/stepped down from his executive posts at CBS after additional allegations surfaced.
Public debate and board investigation continued (post-resignation)
Following his exit, controversies, investigations and litigation concerning his conduct and compensation continued through 2019.
Widely reported net worth estimate (~$800M+)
Various media reports estimated Moonves' net worth to be over $800 million, attributable largely to CBS compensation and stock.
Left ZeniMax Media board (end of long tenure)
Moonves, who had been on ZeniMax Media's board since 1999, was no longer on the board as of 2021.
Key Achievement Ages
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