sexual harrassment

HBO Drops Mark Halperin Project From Development Amid Sexual-Harassment Allegations

Mark Halperin. Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Mark Halperin, veteran political journalist and co-author of the book Game Change, is the latest powerful man to be accused of sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and to have various companies sever ties with him as a result. CNN first reported allegations from five women that Halperin harassed them while acting as political director at ABC News, leading MSNBC to put out a statement saying that Halperin would leave his role as a contributor at the network. Now, HBO, which produced the TV adaptation of Game Change, says that it is dropping a project tied to Halperin’s upcoming book on the recent election from development. “HBO is no longer proceeding with the project tied to the untitled book co-authored by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann on the 2016 Presidential election,” the network said. “HBO has no tolerance for sexual harassment within the company or its productions.” Showtime, which produces the political documentary The Circus, co-hosted by Halperin, also put out a statement, though it did not make any definite claims about the future of the show. “During Mark’s time working with us, we have not seen nor have there been allegations of any untoward behavior,” the network said. “We are aware of these reports and will continue to evaluate all options should we decide to move forward with another season of The Circus. There is no tolerance for sexual harassment within Showtime and its productions.”

HBO Drops Halperin Project Amid Sexual-Harassment Reports