Hollywood figure Ron Meyer, who led Universal Studios after co-founding influential agency CAA, announced his resignation from NBCUniversal on Tuesday after admitting to having an extramarital affair with a woman and buying her silence. Ron Meyer is a veteran of the film industry, a former agent who helped launch the careers of Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep and oversaw many big productions from famous studios.
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In the wake of the #MeToo movement, Hollywood has undertaken to crack down on behavior deemed abusive by its personalities. " Last week Ron Meyer informed NBCUniversal that he acted in a way that we do not consider to be in line with our regulations and our values ," Jeff Shell, the head of the entertainment giant, said on Tuesday in a statement to AFP. We both came to the conclusion that Ron had to leave the company immediately, ”he added.
In a separate statement, Ron Meyer said that a woman with whom he had " a brief and consensual affair many years ago " then accused him of false things, forcing him " to make a deal, under the threat ”. The ex-agent informed his family and employers of the affair after " third parties " learned of the deal and tried to blackmail him into extorting money, he said. added.
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According to professional Hollywood publications, the woman in question is Charlotte Kirk, actress of the film Ocean's 8 , whose affair with Kevin Tsujihara had brought down this former boss of Warner Bros last year. The manager of the 28-year-old British actress refused to react. Ron Meyer had been vice president of NBCUniversal since 2013, after a long reign at the helm of Universal Studios. He had notably supervised the production of Gladiator , Erin Brockovich and Fast and Furious .