Warner studios head steps down after reported affair with actress

LOS ANGELES, USA – Warner Bros studios chief Kevin Tsujihara, who has been dogged for weeks by reports of an affair with a young British actress he allegedly helped secure roles, is set to step down, the WarnerMedia group said Monday, March 18.

“It is in the best interest of WarnerMedia, Warner Bros., our employees and our partners for Kevin to step down as chairman and CEO of Warner Bros,” WarnerMedia chief executive John Stankey said in a statement.

“Kevin acknowledges that his mistakes are inconsistent with the company’s leadership expectations and could impact the company’s ability to execute going forward,” he said, without explicitly referring to media reports that the married 54-year-old studio head had an affair with 26-year-old actress Charlotte Kirk in 2013.

The studio boss tried to use his clout to get the young actress roles, although without much apparent success, since she only had minor parts in two Warner movies, 2016’s How to be Single and 2018’s Ocean’s 8, according to reports in the Hollywood press.

Tsujihara’s lawyers have denied that he intervened in casting decisions for the films.

Warner launched an internal investigation into the reports but has not yet named a replacement for Tsujihara, who had recently taken on more responsibilities after a sweeping reorganization of the company previously known as Time-Warner following its takeover by telecoms giant AT&T. – Rappler.com